Caught on camera: Wild peacock sighting in southern Alberta causes confusion

Alberta's foothills are known for their stunning natural beauty and diverse landscapes, but this was an unexpected sight…

Alberta’s foothills are known for their stunning natural beauty and diverse landscapes, but not the exotic bird that a High River woman recently spotted.

A video posted to Facebook by Kathy Osbak on Wednesday appears to show a blue Indian peafowl.

The post says the video was recorded by Osbak’s daughter while she was out for a jog.

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Peafowls, more commonly known as peacocks (males) and peahens (females), are typically found in their native regions of South Asia, but many have been domesticated as pets throughout North America.

The video has ruffled the feathers of some Albertans who question where the bird came from.

“No, it’s not ours, all of our peacocks are accounted for in their winter space,” said Kim Walker, senior manager of animal care and welfare at the Calgary Zoo.

“But we do welcome the public to call anytime they see something of concern or to call Alberta Fish & Wildlife. Rest assured; we’re always watching our animals closely.”

Officials with Butterfield Acres in northwest Calgary say they have two peacocks – Peter and Hamish – but both are accounted for.

However, spokesperson Chris Stock says the birds have been known to escape in the past.

“When we first got them, we were not aware that they were going to go as exploring as much as they did, and they wandered over to the neighbour’s acreage and discovered their reflections in the in the windows,” he said.

“That was quite humorous. So now we keep them in a covered flight pen, so they have plenty of room to spread their wings, but at the same time, they’re not able to go visit neighbours anymore.”

In a statement, Alberta Fish & Wildlife said it has not received any reports of a peacock spotted in the High River area.

“If Albertans encounter any wildlife that is an imminent public safety concern, they can report the incident to the 24-hour Report A Poacher line at 1-800-642-3800,” the statement said.

Local bird conservationist Mark Garbutt notes that exotic birds do have the capability to escape if they’re not properly fenced, if their wings aren’t clipped or if they’re intimidated by other wildlife.

“We’ve definitely seen peafowl around the High River area before during our bird counts, so perhaps this one got chased off by a dog or a coyote,” he said.

“Protecting these animals is very important, because right now, if this peafowl isn’t careful out in the wild, an eagle or a fox could easily hunt it.”

Garbutt says when wild birds are exposed to the public, there are also concerns regarding the spread of diseases.

In July 2022, for example, Parks Canada euthanized a domestic peafowl found in Jasper National Park, citing the risk of it introducing avian diseases and parasites, and the potential impact that could have on the park’s ecological integrity.

“There’s millions of birds that have been destroyed down in the U.S., so yeah it’s scary stuff, and now it’s crossing over to humans,” said Garbutt.

Peafowl for sale all over Canada

While it might not be the most traditional pet, peafowls are becoming more and more popular throughout Canada – so much so that many of them are sold online through buy and sell groups.

One of the largest groups is Canadian Peacock Buy & Sell on Facebook, which boasts more than 2,500 members.

Sam Lenders is one of the most active sellers online.

She lives in the small hamlet of Glenevis, Alta., about an hour drive northwest of Edmonton, but says she’s sold just about every single type of peafowl all over the nation.

“It all started with my grandmother getting me a peahen when I was little, so I decided to get a peacock to go with it,” she said.

“Now I have about 50 breeders, they’re my pets that I don’t sell, but then I have the offspring which I sell once they’re about three-months-old -- so my barn is pretty full.”

Lenders says proper care for her birds is her number one priority, noting that that they are housed in warm facilities, dewormed twice yearly and regularly checked by an avian vet specialist.

Any of her newly acquired birds are also quarantined for 30 days to make sure they don’t come into contact with any other birds that may need to be treated or tested for avian flu.

Lenders says her business has become more and more popular over the years, and in 2024 alone she sold more than 130 peafowl.

“They’ve always seemed kind of popular, but during COVID I found a lot of people wanted to get into homesteading, and then it just really popular from there,” she said.

“I just love that each one has its own personality. You can get to know them, and I also enjoy when a new chick hatches, getting to see if it’s a colour I haven’t seen before. I get pretty excited about that.

“It’s also nice when you sell the birds to people, and then you hear back a few years later that they’re doing great.”