Oswego Family Wakes Up to Random Peacock in Yard

• Photos courtesy of Beth Knuth

Oswego, IL — An Oswego family woke up to an odd sight Thursday morning — a peacock in their yard.

Oswego resident and Indian Prairie School District 204 teacher Beth Knuth said her mom first saw it at 8 a.m. when she was letting the dog out. Her mom then came into her bedroom and told her she had to come take a look at.

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Knuth, who lives on McLaren Drive in the Hunt Club Subdivision, said she originally didn’t believe her mom. So she took her 5-year-old daughter outside, and there it was.

“I was totally shocked. I thought we were seeing things,” Knuth said.

Even the family dog was in awe of the bird, who was outside with it and didn’t attempt to chase at it, and the bird didn’t run away.

The peacock then started eating from a bird-feeder on the ground and was just walking around.

“It came right up to our back patio door and was very friendly,” she said. “It was wanting us to feed it or something.”

The peacock stayed in the yard for around 15 minutes.

“As we came out and were a little more aggressive looking at it, I think it got a little more nervous and went back to the fence,” Knuth said.

The peacock then perched on top of a fence before jumping and taking off into a cornfield.

“It was really beautiful,” she said.

Unfortunately, the bird didn’t spread its feathers.

“We were hoping to see that.”

In the meantime, the bird feeders will be kept full in hope of another visit from their feathered friend.

Oswego Police Department Records Clerk Michelle Sowell said it’s unknown why peacocks are being spotted in the area.

“It’s the weirdest thing," she said. "People call in all the time and we’re like, ‘Yep!’”

Sowell said you can hear them in the morning and gave her best impression of a peacock sound.

“It sounds like a loud, ‘Ker-ker, ker-ker. You’re like, ‘What in the world is that?’”

There been no effort to round up the peacocks, Sowell said. And probably won't be as long as they’re not bothering anyone.

Peacocks are native to Southeast Asia, Central Africa and Central America.