The male bird was later spotted perching on a window ledge at an apartment building in the upmarket Fifth Avenue area. In a statement, Central Park Zoo said the exotic escapee did not pose a risk to anyone.
In May a peahen, a peacock's female counterpart, fled the Bronx Zoo. A cobra escaped at the same zoo in March. The peahen managed to strut around the Bronx for at least a day before it was rescued by a garage owner.
'Sophisticated bird'
The cobra inspired a spoof Twitter account, amassing nearly 230,000 followers after it went on the run for nearly a week. It did not get far and was found in a dark corner near its tank. Since escaping on Tuesday, the peacock has so far spawned two Twitter feeds - CentralPeacock and BirdOnTheTown - which have already attracted hundreds of followers apiece.
In a statement, Central Park Zoo said it hoped the bird would fly back to its home, but if it did not they would retrieve it. Scores of people gathered to watch the peacock as it perched on a window ledge several storeys high on Manhattan's Upper East Side, just across the road from the zoo.