'My peacock gets up to all sorts of mischief'

A peacock's misadventures have found him invading people's homes, caught on roofs and making lots of noise in a Staffordshire village.

Percy the peacock – who lives in Cotes Heath near Swynnerton - is particularly vocal during the spring mating season, according to owner Jane Ackroyd.

She said Percy's partner Penny and their two daughters were generally better behaved than him, although his antics have endeared him to his neighbours.

"I'd say 99.9% of the community have taken him to heart and absolutely love him," Ms Ackroyd said.

Ms Ackroyd decided to get Percy and Penny after initially researching chickens.

"I'd seen peacocks in the past in parks and things, and on holiday," she said.

"[We] decided to look into getting one. We've got no direct neighbours but we've got a very busy main road between us and lots of fields behind us.

"We thought [the peacocks] would love all the fields and it's safe."

Percy has since acquired something of a reputation for his antics.

A few years ago, after a local resident had left their door open, the peacock found his way inside their house and up the stairs into their bedroom.

"We have pictures sent to us of him in people's pumpkin patches sometimes," Ms Ackroyd added.

"We'll get pictures of him in all sorts of situations – my husband has had to climb on a roof before to try and get him down."

She said peacocks' behaviour during mating season meant that he tended to roam.

Ms Ackroyd has previously put Percy inside an aviary in an attempt to stop him from getting into mischief – only to find another male peacock turning up in their garden.

"They're more common than people think, in the countryside," she said.

"I know of three people within a couple of miles with peacocks."

Ms Ackroyd pointed out that while Percy could be quite noisy, he generally quietened down once mating season was over.

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