The astonishing footage captures a peacock casually walking along a busy street while astonished bypasses watch in awe.

The first clip shows the majestic bird standing in the middle of the bustling road in the city of Nanjing, in China’s coastal province of Jiangsu, in the evening hours on 16th March.

In the second clip, the peacock captivated the attention of onlookers by leisurely strolling along the road, thus preventing the vehicles from continuing their journeys.

Meanwhile, surprised pedestrians and bikers can be seen slowing down to admire the extraordinary sight.

Police later explained that the peacock found itself amidst the hectic traffic after it escaped a nearby university.

They added: “The relevant department handled it properly afterwards.”

The videos of the scene later triggered an avalanche of reactions from social media users on the Chinese version of TikTok, Douyin.

Douyin user ‘Shijiazhuang Qingchen Jewelry (wholesale gold and diamond rings)’ said: “The peacock wants to visit the night market.”

Then user ‘Qi Tang’ commented: “Peacock: Life is boring, going out to amuse humans.”

And ‘Sumu Xi’ added: “What’s going on, first there was a pink ostrich and now it’s a peacock! Curious what will come next.”

The clip showcasing the peacock walking along the road has garnered more than 190,000 likes and over 110,000 shares as of 19th March.