When one thinks of the threats that various animals pose to cars, things like a bear attack, hitting a deer, or animals chewing vehicle parts come to mind. A peacock is not an animal that would typically strike fear into the hearts of drivers, though. However, a peacock dubbed “Conor McGregor” has been tormenting a village in the United Kingdom by head-butting cars, among other shenanigans.
Peacock mistakenly thinks shiny cars are his love rival when he sees his reflection
Peacock on a car | Manoj Dhaka/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
Over the past six years, a peacock has wreaked havoc on the seaside town of Seaton, on the south coast of England, as reported by Mirror. The male peacock is named “Pete,” but residents “compare him to Irish UFC fighter Conor McGregor because of his violent streak” and head-butting ways.
The reason why the peacock head-butts cars is that he perceives them to be a love rival when he sees his reflection on the shiny surfaces. The randy peacock is searching for a mate, and he doesn’t want the cars to get in the way of his pursuit.
“It’s been in the village for six years harassing people,” said Andi Ramsden, a father-of-three. He continued, “It sees its reflection and starts head-butting itself, it jumps at its reflection with its feet, it wakes my kids up, it’s constantly squawking at midnight, it’s just an absolute menace.”
“It’s like Conor McGregor. It cries out at all times of the day, waking people. I go to work at 4.30 am, and it’s doing it then. You’d think I’d be up earlier than that, but I’m not.”
Luxury cars are a common target of the ‘Conor McGregor’ peacock, possibly because of their extra shininess
Conor McGregor | Ethan Miller/Getty Images
A common target of the “Conor McGregor” peacock is new luxury cars, possibly because of their extra shininess. “I’ve got a £12,000 BMW and an £18,000 Audi, and it’s just attacking them. It head-butts them until its head bleeds. It’s crazy. It’s a nutter,” said Ramsden. However, he said that in the village, “There’s a lot of old people, and they have disability cars, so they’re not really that bothered.”
He continued, “When it’s pecking at your car doors, it pecks the paint off, and all it takes is for moisture to get underneath it, and the whole door needs respraying. It’s done the wing, the door, the back of the car.”
Nick Rollinson, another resident of Seaton, said, “He has a go at the newest and shiniest cars. He pecks and spits and usually ends up banging his head into the bodywork. Most of the time, the scratches will polish out, but you can be talking about hundreds of pounds of damage if he’s really gone bonkers.”
Randy peacock was relocated to a farm but keeps coming back to the village in search of love
Peacock | Steve Harvey via Unsplash
Pete the “Conor McGregor” peacock was relocated to a nearby farm. However, he keeps returning to the village. “Pete came home alone and has been searching for a mate ever since. You can tell when he feels a bit randy because all his plumage is up,” said Rollinson. David Atkinson, the parish council chairman, said, “It’s mating season, so he’s desperate for love.”
Along with head-butting and menacing cars, the peacock wreaks havoc in other ways. Ramsden said, “There’s bird poop everywhere. I leave my conservatory door open, so my little cat can come in and out. It comes in and attacks the cat, leaves poop on the floor in the conservatory, and you don’t want your kids touching that. It poops all over the cars.”
Keyword: ‘Conor McGregor’ Peacock Head-Butts Cars Because He Thinks They’re a Love Rival