Freedom and fame proved fleeting for a fugitive Bronx Zoo peacock.
The runaway bird, dubbed “Raul” by local residents, wrapped up its life on the lam Thursday by flying back home after drawing a morning crowd of fans, reporters and zoo officials while perched in a tree at Vyse Ave. and E. 180th St.
The fowl’s two-day taste of feathery freedom ended quietly when Raul flew back onto zoo grounds at 11:19 a.m., one day after its escape. Police and zoo officials were pondering their next step in the strange standoff when Raul returned to his urban habitat.
“We kept an eye on the bird (Thursday) morning as he started to move around at dawn and fully expected him to return to the zoo as he did,” said a statement from the Bronx Zoo. “We had confidence in our knowledge of bird behavior to predict how he would behave if given the chance to do so without interference.”
The peacock spent Wednesday night sleeping in the tree but became frightened after waking to a horde of cameras, reporters and onlookers below. Raul initially moved to a spot higher into the tree before taking flight into the skies above the Bronx about 10:40 a.m.
Raul relocated to a quieter tree in the nearby West Old Farms Cemetery before moving a second time to a nearby building and then opting to head back to the zoo.
Gawkers snapped photos and shot video of the colorful critter sitting in a tree, with a livestream of the peacock available Wednesday via the internet. Bronx Zoo workers and the NYPD gathered nearby on day two of the drama that began when Raul slipped away Wednesday from the zoo property.
“Raul, come down!” shouted one of the bystanders to the Bronx’s most wanted bird.
The long-tailed bird with its iridescent plumage bit a Bronx man in Vidalia Park in West Farms at 8 p.m. Wednesday after leaving the zoo, with Raul then taking refuge in the tree and becoming an instant celebrity.
Back in 2011, a runaway female peacock was captured by workers at a Bronx auto glass shop, with one employee dramatically plucking the bird from traffic about 10 blocks from the zoo.
A Bronx Zoo spokesman said many peacocks wander the grounds freely, adding Raul probably escaped from the property.
“Peafowl are not dangerous,” read a statement from the facility. “The Bronx Zoo has free roaming peafowl on its grounds which move through the park with guests on a daily basis. Like many other animals, peafowl rely on a flight response when they feel threatened.”