10/05/2007

Lexus-Loving Peacock Either Gay or Territorial

A peacock owned by British aristocrat Sir Benjamin Slade has caused $8000 worth of damage to one of his employee's cars because, Slade says, the peacock mistook the "peacock blue" Lexus for a mate. Because female peacocks are usually brown in color, Slade thinks the peacock is gay:

"It started when he fell in love with this Lexus, which was in a very distinct peacock blue and looked like another peacock boy. He couldn't control his urges and tried to shag it. He attacked the panels so hard that the car needs a total respray. The insurers, Lloyd's of London, are not very happy about it. They've had claims for all sorts of things like lions biting people, but never have they heard of a peacock sexually attacking a car before."

However, Ornithologist Quenton Spratt, at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, has a more reasonable observation: "I've come across this in the past. I suspect the peacock thinks the car is a bird. They are very territorial and will try to fight the car off by pecking it, as they would with another bird. Blue cars probably compound it, as they associate bright colours with a male. Peacocks have very sharp spurs and can do some real damage."

That said, perhaps the only thing that the incident really proves is that peacocks have pea brains.

Posted 10:30 AM EST by Andy in Great Britain, Nature, News | Permalink

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Comments

1. And obnoxious sounding! Stupid AND obnoxious. Why anything so beautiful looking was cursed with such a horrible sounding call...

   Posted by: FizziekruntNT | Oct 5, 2007 10:53:13 AM

   
   

2. "Why anthing so beautiful looking was cursed with such a horrible sounding call..."

   You never been to a Gay Pride Sunday in Village, hunh, FIZZIE?

   Posted by: Derrick fromPhilly | Oct 5, 2007 10:58:58 AM

   
   

3. Our peacock is actually very bright, but he is DEFINITELY territorial and would spar with our turkeys when they were all free-roaming (now just the peacock is free; the turkeys wandered off after wild hen turkeys too often -- damn trollops). And he does SCREAM. But while our guy has never attacked property or people, I'm sure it happens regularly.

   Posted by: tjc | Oct 5, 2007 11:10:06 AM

   
   

4. I formerly owned four peacocks ( incl. 2 males ). A male will territorially attack any other male, esp. during summer mating season, in order to keep it away from available females (in order to keep all females for himself for breeding if possible). He will attack his reflection, mistaking it for a male, in a car, storm door, hubcap, mirror, etc. This is not gay behavior but rather very agressive, rooster-like straight behavior.

   Posted by: anonymous | Oct 5, 2007 11:24:13 AM

   
   

5. LMAO@Derrick. OH yeah honey, you feel me. ;)

   I did forget the "oh, duh" part in my comment, but oh yeah. LOL.

   Posted by: FizziekruntNT | Oct 5, 2007 11:26:28 AM

   
   

6. What an extroadinarily beautiful color for a car. I simply must have one.

   Posted by: Princess Superstar | Oct 5, 2007 11:45:21 AM

   
   

7. FIY a female is called a peahen.

   Posted by: anon (gmail.com) | Oct 5, 2007 11:54:22 AM

   
   

8. the campus of the school i went to from kindergarten through grade eight was overrun with peacocks (the land was formerly an orange grove, and the previous owners used the peacocks as guard-birds). i can all but promise you that the bird in question was just being territorial (the gay thing sounds like a ploy by the peacock-owner to try and get the story more coverage--and look, it worked). they're nasty, unhygenic, and profoundly stupid birds, but but i kind of love them for it.

   Posted by: steven | Oct 5, 2007 3:58:49 PM

   
   

9. "they're nasty, unhygenic, and profoundly stupid birds, but I kind of love them..."

   Don't be embarassed, Steven. Like I said on the other thread, there's plenty of gay guys who prefer rough trade...I kinda' like them too...when I was younger.

   Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Oct 5, 2007 4:04:55 PM

   
   

10. I think the car owner knows the difference between fighting and humping.

    Posted by: Wheezy | Oct 5, 2007 11:04:42 PM

    
    

11. ....At least I hope so!

    Posted by: Wheezy | Oct 5, 2007 11:05:40 PM

    
    

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