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Central Park Zoo Peacock Flies Home

By Ben Fractenberg | August 3, 2011 9:09am | Updated on August 3, 2011 9:31am
 A peacock that escaped from the Central Park Zoo was hanging out on a window sill Tuesday afternoon.
A peacock that escaped from the Central Park Zoo was hanging out on a window sill Tuesday afternoon.
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DNAinfo/Ben Fractenberg

MANHATTAN — Maybe he just needed a night on the town.

A peacock who escaped the Central Park Zoo Tuesday, spending the night on a fourth-floor ledge of an apartment building at 65th Street and Fifth Avenue, flew home just after sunrise Wednesday, zoo officials said.

"We have recovered the peacock as anticipated this morning when it flew home at sunrise back into the Central Park Zoo,"  Jeff Sailer, Central Park Zoo Director, said in a statement.

"Our staff monitored the bird through the night, and at 6:45am, he flew back on his own. The bird is now secured in the aviary. A thorough understanding of the peacock's natural behavior allowed for the successful planning of its recovery."

The aviary was closed Wednesday but the children's zoo remained open.

A source familiar with the situation said the zoo is looking into how the peacock escaped, as the Central Park Zoo's aviary is completely netted in.

The bird drew a crowd of admirers to the intersection Tuesday afternoon, as people looked up and admired the bird.

The peacock even had dueling Twitter accounts — @BirdOnTheTown, @centralparkpeacock, and @escapedpeacock — as well as a league of followers commenting on his every move.

"Well the Peacock that fled the Central Park Zoo is finally back. [He] spent the night on a ledge on 65th street. Got tired and flew back LOL," Twitter user @KingMufasah wrote.