Runaway peacock still on the loose in Toronto's west end

A peacock that escaped a west-end Toronto zoo earlier this week has been spotted in the Parkdale neighbourhood.

A peacock that escaped a west-end Toronto zoo earlier this week remains on the loose after it was spotted in the Parkdale neighbourhood Friday afternoon.

CTV Toronto videographer Tom Podolec found the feathered fugitive near 88 MacDonell Ave. located in the area Lansdowne Avenue and Queen Street West, shortly after 4:30 p.m. Friday.

The bird originally flew its coop at the High Park Zoo on Wednesday, but was coaxed back into its pen the following day, only to escape again Friday morning, a spokesperson with Toronto's Parks, Recreation and Forestry department told The Canadian Press.

The zoo's supervisors are aware of the escaped bird, but are not involved with the hunt to capture the peacock. Toronto Animal Services spokesperson Nicole Ware said the city's animal services and parks departments are leading that effort.

Ware said that animal services have assisted in capturing other escaped animals from High Park, but this is the first time they’re dealing with a runaway peacock.

Earlier on Friday, Toronto resident Rebecca Davies told CTV Toronto she'd seen the flashy fowl on Garden Avenue, in the area of Roncesvalles Avenue and High Park Boulevard.

"I came out and saw the peacock up there on my roof," she said.

Davies is one of the founding members of the fundraising group Friends of High Park Zoo, "so it's very, very ironic that it landed on my house."

She said she helped track it for a while and followed the bird out to Roncesvalles, trying to keep it away from traffic. She saw it fly to the east side of Roncesvalles before disappearing.

Other residents of the city took to Twitter on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to report sightings in the same area. By Friday morning, the big, blue bird had its own parody Twitter account.

"Tom, you’ve stuck around for longer than most of the Peahens in my life. Thanks, bro. #feathertap," @TorontoPeacock tweeted at CTV Toronto's Tom Podolec Friday night.

High Park Zoo is home to five peacocks and eight peahens that live in an enclosure surrounded by three-metre high fences.

Ware warned those in the area not to approach the bird or try to feed it. Anyone who sees the runaway is asked to call 311 to report its location.

With files from The Canadian Press