In Brisbane, Australia, a peacock wandered into the bathroom of a couple’s home and became completely mesmerized by its own reflection in the mirror. The homeowners were stunned to find the bird standing before the mirror, seemingly “admiring its own beauty.” Wildlife rescuers were called in; they captured the peacock and released it into a nearby wild area. However, the saga didn’t end there—the peacock remains at large and has not returned to the couple’s property. Now, an ingenious “mirror trap” has been set to capture it.
According to a report by The Guardian, the peacock—named Hex—appeared last week at the home of Geoff and Delwyn Ballantyne in Alexandra Hills, Brisbane. The couple had stepped out for an evening coffee, and upon returning home, they were shocked to discover a full-grown peacock in their bathroom, standing before the mirror and gazing, spellbound, at its own reflection.
Geoff explained, “We suspect the peacock was in the front yard. It must have slipped inside when we opened the garage door, because when we walked into the house, there it was—admiring itself in the mirror.”
Delwyn was the first to spot the bird, and the sight of the unexpected guest prompted her to cry out. “My wife was screaming,” Geoff recounted. “At first, she thought an intruder had broken into the house. Then she shouted, ‘It’s a peacock!’ I believed her, but at the same time, I didn’t want to—it just seemed so unbelievable.”
The couple tried to lure the peacock away from the mirror by offering it water and biscuits, but to no avail. Eventually, wildlife rescuers were contacted; they managed to secure the bird using a towel and released it into some nearby shrubbery.
Yet, the peacock has not returned to the couple’s home. Instead, it began visiting the home of Suzie Tafolo, a resident of the same neighborhood, every afternoon.
Tafolo suspected that the peacock might be “Hex”—a pet that had gone missing from a local tattoo artist named Elliot Ross. Ross had previously reported his peacock as lost; upon seeing the bird’s distinctive plumage, he confirmed that it was indeed his pet, Hex.
To capture the peacock, Tafolo started searching online for various methods. “I Googled how to catch a peacock—something I never imagined I’d ever have to do!” she said. “One suggestion was that peacocks are very fond of mirrors. That explains how it managed to get into the bathroom!”
Following this, Tafolo brought a full-length mirror from her home and placed it in the backyard shed where Hex frequently appeared. On Tuesday, the peacock showed clear interest upon seeing its own reflection in the mirror. Tafolo hopes that this will soon make it possible to capture the bird and return it to its owner.
Elliot Ross noted that, aside from a single visit to a neighbor’s house, Hex had never wandered off like this before. He also keeps a female peacock, but she has remained at home. Ross speculates that Hex might have left in search of another female.
Dr. Darryl Jones—an emeritus professor at Griffith University, urban ecologist, and author of the book Wild Neighbors—has studied how birds react to their own reflections in mirrors.
According to him, while Hex might be experiencing loneliness, it is not certain that he set out in search of a mate. “Most birds perceive their reflection as a rival or a threat and typically try to fight it,” Jones explained. “But this particular bird might simply be lonely.”
He added that while it is quite unusual to see two male peacocks roaming together, it does occasionally happen. The peacock is not a particularly intelligent creature. It may be foolish, but it certainly knows what a peahen looks like.
