Vermont peacock on the run with wild turkeys

Some ruffled feathers in southern Vermont on this Thanksgiving. A woman says her bird is missing but it's not a turkey. It's a peacock!

The owner wrote to Vermont Fish & Wildlife this week asking for advice: "My peacock has run off with the turkeys. Do you have any suggestions on how to catch the little twerp?" Fish & Wildlife posted it to Facebook, saying maybe the peacock would have found a different crowd to run with if he knew how close Thanksgiving was!

The post went viral and caught our eye. So we sent our Ike Bendavid down to Springfield to see if the bird came home for the holiday.

Outside on the frigid Thanksgiving morning, Brian and Rene Johnson are facing a problem peacock. He's up in a tree now. They'd rather he come home because this beautiful bird has been on the run now for six weeks... lured away by "fowl" play.

"So, my peacock ran off with the turkeys," Rene said.

They think the bird was lonely. Its friend died and their chickens weren't enough to keep him around.

"When we lost his little brother, I think the turkeys were more like him than the chickens and he decided to take off with them," Rene explained.

She says her peacock has a few names: Pea, Forest or Walter.

"Not only is he confused about his name but his species, as well," Rene said.

Thursday morning, tips from neighbors directed her to a nearby road where she spotted Pea high up off the ground.

"Come on, Pea!" Rene called. "I mean, he is pretty happy. That's where he hangs out at our house."

Vermont Fish and Wildlife says there is no law enforcement issue with the peacock. They say it's the same thing as a turkey or chicken getting loose; there is just no issue.

Johnson says Pea usually hangs in a tree close to home but she's worried about how he's faring in the cold.

"So close, just wanna bring him home," she said.

As she waits for her bird, even she realizes her colorful conundrum is a bit unusual.

"It is kind of funny actually," Rene said.

She says she'll keep trying to lure him home for the holidays.