Peacock in Abingdon a Source of Contention

Members of the Bynum Overlook Community in Abingdon are atwitter about one neighbor's unusual pet bird.

Lisa McNair owns several peacocks, including one named Petey, who calls loudly from the roof of their home in the Abingdon community during mating season, according to a WBALTV.com report.

Some neighbors have shifted from admiring the regal bird to despising the noise it makes, the report continues.

The issue surrounding the bird spilled over into Tuesday night's Harford County Council meeting with "an apparent last-minute request for them to vote on a bill from February that defines an animal shelter," according to a story on ExploreHarford.com.

The story on WBALTV.com stated the council was expected to vote on the bill Tuesday, however Councilwoman Mary Ann Lisanti said during the meeting this was not the case and the matter had caught the council off guard, according to the ExploreHarford.com story.

"I deeply apologize to the humane society and to the other folks who were really counting on this bill to move forward this evening, because I think in some ways you have been victimized by this. I also apologize to the residents of Bynum Overlook because you somehow think peacocks on quarter-acre lots in residential neighborhoods are domestic animals and you can have lots of them," Lisanti was quoted as saying.

The proposed bill would expand the definition of an animal shelter in the county code and call for minimum lot sizes of 20 acres in agricultural zones and two acres in business districts.

See a copy of the .

Currently, an animal shelter is defined as: "Any premises so designated by the Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits for the purposes of impounding and caring for animals found running at large or in violation of this chapter," according to the county code.