One of these birds is not like the other.
Trail cameras changed the game when they were introduced commercially in the 1990s and 2000s. Hunters were basically able to strap an an all-seeing eye on their favorite hunting spot, and effectively know each and every animal that passes by. It’s hard to imagine hunting without them now, and often times, the mounted cameras capture photos and videos that have extreme viral-ability.
Like a peacock walking around with a flock of turkeys.
Wild turkeys are found in every state in America except for Alaska. It’s believed that somewhere around 6 to 7 million turkeys are living out in the wilderness of our great country. That number fluctuates a bit during the fall and spring turkey seasons (turkey hunting is a whole lot of fun), but in general, the population is a lot healthier than it was in the 1970s (when only 1.5 million turkeys lived in the wild).
As for peacocks… you don’t see them wandering around all that much. Native to India and Sri Lanka, they’ve been imported to the United States for zoos, farms, and in some cases, the estates of rich folks who like exotic animals. Though there are plenty of semi-domesticated/captive bred peacocks, the beautiful birds have only developed feral populations in a few states: Florida, California, Arizona, Texas, and Hawaii.
We don’t know where this trail camera footage is out of, but considered the peacock could have just gotten out of its farm or semi-domesticated home, it could have really played out anywhere.
Stealth Arrow Outdoors shared the video, which hilariously shows a flock of turkeys walking down a trail in the woods with one very vibrant turkey in the bunch. I’m obviously referring to the peacock that seemed to join in on the traveling party, and I can’t help but wonder how this came to be.
Peacocks and turkeys are similar sized birds (and both are also known to fly in short bursts), so the group of turkeys may have just accepted the peacock in thinking it was one of their own. And it just so happened to be multicolored, and boasted a much more elaborate fan of feathers.
The caption for the post summed up the visual quite nicely:
“This isn’t something you get on camera everyday.”
No, you certainly don’t.
As you might imagine, this comical premise of a peacock walking around with a group of turkeys has sent the footage into the “viral” realm. Social media users have loved the unlikely (but understandable) grouping, and they’ve left comments and observations below the post like these:
“Peacocks are always in situations that don’t require a peacock.”
“Next thing you know you can’t check your trail cam without ads unless you upgrade to Peacock Plus.”
“I bet those toms are real subconscious about their fan sizes.”
“Glad he found a flock to hang out with.”
“If I had a nickel for every time I’ve seen a peacock in a flock of turkeys I’d have two nickels.”
“I just want to point out that the Spanish word for turkey is ‘pavo real’ which is literally ‘royal turkey.’ So he’s just fulfilling his leadership role.”
In case you were wondering, that checks out. I looked it up to confirm. Just a royal turkey leading it’s less colorful comrades.
