Escaped peacock returns to New York's Central Park Zoo

A peacock that escaped from New York City's Central Park Zoo sits perched on a fifth floor window sill at 833 Fifth Avenue at 65th street in New York August 2, 2011.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A mischievous peacock that escaped from New York City's Central Park Zoo was back home on Wednesday after temporarily taking up residence on the ledge of an upscale Fifth Avenue apartment.

"Our staff monitored the bird through the night and at 6:45 a.m. he flew back on his own," Central Park Zoo Director Jeff Sailer said in a statement. "A thorough understanding of the peacock's natural behavior allowed for the successful planning of its recovery."

The peacock had escaped on Tuesday and roosted on the window ledge of a posh apartment building on fashionable Fifth Avenue.

After its early return home on Wednesday, it is now safe and sound in an aviary, Sailer said. The zoo had expected the peacock to fly back on its own accord.

The peacock is the latest in a string of errant animals from New York City zoos. In March, a poisonous Egyptian cobra, now named Mia for "missing in action," captured the public eye after escaping from the Bronx Zoo and remaining on the loose for six days, spawning a series of satirical Twitter posts.

In May, a peahen also escaped from the Bronx Zoo, but was quickly recaptured in a nearby garage.

(Reporting by Bernd Debusmann Jr; Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Greg McCune)