EMMETT, Idaho — A local peacock named Ivan has become a feathered fugitive and a community celebrity in Emmett.
Ivan joined the Bowhay family as a young peacock and quickly became Emmett’s most colorful escape artist — walking downtown, popping into yards, and turning heads all over town.
"So we got Ivan, I would say about 2 years ago. And ever since then, he, you know, he's kind of been a part of the family, and he's been full of adventures," owner Carson Bowhay said.
Bowhay said the family originally got Ivan when they were buying some Silkie chickens. The seller offered them the 3-month-old peacock for free, and they decided to take him. Bowhay noted that peacocks take a long time to develop their beautiful colors and long tail feathers, meaning Ivan didn't really start looking like the classic peacock until he was about a year and a half old.
The Facebook page, Ivan’s Emmett Adventures documents his day-to-day life and has even inspired local art and poems about the bird.
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"He really like kind of brought a community together over something that was super small and super playful," Bowhay said.
During Ivan's adventures, the community has rallied around him. Bowhay mentioned a specific interaction where a neighbor down the street gave the Bowhay family rhubarb and talked with them about herbs and peacocks, connecting them with people they otherwise would have just passed by.
Watch to see more of Emmett's Ivan the peacock.
"Something as simple as a peacock kind of brought everybody together and brought laughs because I mean we don't always get laughs with the way that the world is now, or you know, things that are going on in town, but it was really good to bring joy and happiness to Emmett," Bowhay said.
Ivan’s personality is loud and loving, but also a bit dramatic and sometimes just a little weird. Bowhay said Ivan often calls from the rooftop of the family's garage, making a sound that is "almost like somebody saying hello from super far away." He also has a habit of going up to the family's roosters, extending his tail feathers, and shaking his tail at them.
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Bowhay said peacocks have another surprising trait: they hold grudges. And the target of Ivan's grudge is Bowhay's wife, Andrea.
"I just exist in his little world, but for my wife, you know, he sees her and and he's like, oh heck no, like get me, get me away," Bowhay said.
Right now, Ivan is in what the family calls “jail” — a safe area to keep him protected — but they hope to let him back out soon. To keep him safe in the future, the family recently clipped one of his wings so he can't fly up into trees as easily, though he can still run around.
When they do let him out, they want to capture Ivan's adventures with a GoPro and turn his best moments into a community book. Andrea is currently working on compiling all the pictures, Facebook posts, poems, and art created by locals during Ivan's escape, serving as a keepsake for future generations to remember.
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But Ivan's story still needs one last chapter.
"We are still looking for a wife for Ivan, so if anybody's got anything for this beautiful peacock, he is, he is single and ready to mingle," Bowhay said.
