This is the bizarre moment when an angry peacock confronts a car after apparently mistaking it for a rival.

Birdbrained Peacock Takes On Car pic.twitter.com/5XqAi5ONmU

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The tricky standoff was caught on video as the car drove through Xixiakou Wildlife Park in Weihai, Shandong Province, eastern China.

In the footage the white car is trapped as the notoriously territorial bird spreads its spectacular tail feathers as a warning.

Then as the driver honks his horn the undaunted peacock simply honks back with a piercing cry and shakes its rear end.

It is understood that the peacock could have seen its own reflection in the car’s shiny paintwork and mistook it for a rival.

It was only when the car started to move very slowly that the peacock steps out of the way and lowers its tail.

Passerby Ms Wang shot the video which she later uploaded to Douyin, China’s version of TikTok.

She later told the local media that the zoo has nearly a thousand free-roaming peacocks and they are often found near this road.

Some entertained netizens poked fun at the peacock’s brave stance.

Douyin user ’22-year-old Wang Kangkang’ commented: “Did the peacock take a fancy to this car instead?”

And user ‘🌈Ali’ wrote: “The peacock spread its tail and is in a state of battle.”