Have you heard about the bird?

STRUT YOUR STUFF . . the peacock takes a stroll

DID you hear the story about the peacock? It's a beautiful tale.

But the story's plot is yet to be concluded, as the peacock that has been sighted around Oldham this past week is still at large.

The peacock, which is believed to be a juvenile because of its short tail feathers, has been spotted in various parts of the borough, resting on houses and brazenly strutting down the street as cock of the walk.

The beautifully coloured bird has been tracked from Littlemoor to Derker, then Oldham Town Centre and then Royton, but sightings since have been few and far between.

Two men tracking the bird, Andy Bialek and Robert Dobson, from Birds of a Feather animal sanctuary, are urging the public not to approach the peacock, but notify them if they see it and try to keep track of it if they can.

Andy, who has a wealth of experience in catching animals, said that peacocks can be aggressive and have strong, sharp claws.

This is the first peacock he has tracked and the animal's youth is seemingly causing a hindrance, because it has not developed its tail feathers it is not weighed down and can scale houses.

If it does end up on your roof, expect a rude and early awakening as the peacock has a usual calling time of dawn, so if your lie-in does get disturbed by a honking sound then you are likely to have a peacock on your roof.

"This is the first peacock I have tracked," Andy said. "The best thing for the public to do is to leave it alone, don't approach it and ring us. Stay with it and notify us with where it is."

He said: "They are quite aggressive and have claws which are strong, they can rip you apart. I've seen people who have tackled a peacock and their arm has been shredded.

"We don't have a clue where it's from, we've not had a chance to get close enough to see if it has a ring on it or whether is is wild."

Although the peacock may look like a mild mannered bird, they can cause problems.

"With their claws they can damage car paint work and other animals. They look like a nice bird but if you get on the wrong side of them they can snap."

Andy went on to say that he will be available to help at any time.

"It can be day or night, it doesn't matter to me," he added.

If you see the peacock or have information on where it may be, ring Andy on 07815 552367 or contact Birds of a Feather Animal Rescue on boafanimalrescue.webs.com.