A peacock has been spotted wondering in woodlands close to a Northumberland town - and local residents are keen to ensure it gets home safely.
Peacocks are not native to the UK, meaning the bird spotted near Prudhoe is likely to have escaped from captivity somewhere nearby.
While they are known to wander, the birds can easily fall victim to a hungry fox if they are not kept in a secure location.
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County councillor Gordon Stewart, who represents Prudhoe South on Northumberland County Council, asked the owner of the peacock to get in touch with him.
He said: "We have some wonderful open spaces in the town, and beautiful countryside surrounding us.
"We often see an array of wildlife - but on Sunday afternoon, there was talk of a peacock strutting around the ancient woodland.
"Local people were keen to try and locate where the bird came from, and help return it to its home and owner.
"If the owner of the peacock could contact me, I will let you know the last location it was seen."
It's not the first time peacocks have made the news in Prudhoe - two years ago, a petition was started by a local resident after complaints were made about a local peacock in the town.
The birds are known to be particularly noisy, especially during the mating season.
The petition stated: "We need to show that the people of Prudhoe don’t mind the peacock at all, and we don’t want it to go or be under threat by someone who doesn’t like the beautiful sounds it makes. #protectprudhoepeacock."
As non-indigenous species, peafowl are not covered by any UK wildlife protection laws and are not classed as a wild bird in the UK.
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