Peahens spotted in Rolling Meadows

Peafowls have spread their wings, taking a liking to suburban houses.

Two peahens, the term for a female, were spotted Thursday night in a Rolling Meadows neighborhood, even venturing onto the rooftop of Marsha Caccamo's home.

“I thought she was kidding,” Caccamo said when her neighbor called around 8:15 p.m. about the peacocks. “I've never seen one outside of a zoo. It was strange.”

The Rolling Meadows Police Department said they've been getting calls for about a week and a half about the peacocks, but no one has reported them missing.

While it's uncommon for people to keep peacocks, the term for a male peacock, people do sometimes breed exotic animals, said naturalist Mark Spreyer at Stillman Nature Center in South Barrington, adding he doesn't think peahens would last through Illinois' cold winters.

The ground bird, meaning it can fly only in short bursts, isn't dangerous, Spreyer said, unless it's breeding, in which case it might be defensive.

Municipal ordinances vary in what animals they allow as pets. In Rolling Meadows, city ordinance 14.2 states that a person cannot own or keep an undomesticated animal. Keeping fowl is mentioned as a violation, but is defined only as a chicken, turkey, goose or duck.

The peahens' current location is unknown.