Peacock or Siren: a Springtime Guide

Runners and bicyclists along Prospect Park’s East Drive often have trouble discerning if the loud unearthly cry they hear is the mating call of a male peacock, from the Prospect Park Zoo on the right, or the beckoning call of a Siren, drawing the listener deep into the darkness of the Midwood on the left.

“They’re very similar sounds,” said Prospect Park crypto-ornithologist Salazar Papadopoulos, “They both sound a bit like a long creak from a rusty gate.”

The difference, explained Papadopoulos, is that while a peacock’s call may stir in you a pleasant desire to visit the zoo, a Siren’s call is simply unavoidable. 

“If you feel a distinct tug at your soul, you’ll know that’s a Siren,” said Papadopoulos. “You’re going to want to immediately cover your ears or stuff them with sheep’s wool, perhaps tie yourself to a tree. Otherwise, off you’ll go into the depths of the Midwood, searching for that call. And unfortunately that’s probably the last we’ll see of you.”

No one is entirely sure what happens to those who follow the Siren’s call into the forest, but as for us, we’ll take the zoo.