They have made Mulbarton their home for far longer than many of their neighbours.
But the peafowl that have roamed the centre of the village for decades are now ruffling some feathers.
While the brightly-coloured birds have their supporters, a number of villagers say they have become a nuisance and should face curbs.
One local has gone so far as to raise the issue with the parish council and South Norfolk District Council, which has agreed to look into it.
The muster - the collective name for a group of peafowl - has been a common sight in the village for decades.
For the last 20 years, they have been owned by Alan Steynor, a retired judge who lives at Mulbarton Hall.
He took them on from a friend, who moved into Norwich.
Some say the birds have been a fixture of the village since the 1960s.
During that time, Mulbarton has been transformed by hundreds of new homes, becoming one of the fastest-growing villages in Norfolk.
This dynamic might account for the changing attitude to the birds, with newcomers initially charmed by the creatures then becoming frustrated with them.
The peafowl - which number around 20 - live in the grounds of Mr Steynor's home, but are regularly seen on the nearby Common, surrounding streets and neighbours' gardens.
They have even been spotted trying to board buses which stop in the village.
They have become so well established that the village primary school even has its own 'peafowl policy' on how to deal with the birds which regularly patrol the grounds and are sometimes found wandering the corridors.
The eight-page document, which describes how students, staff and visitors should interact with the creatures, is intended to "enable to swift and satisfactory resolution of disputes involving the owners of stray peafowl".
It says the birds are not to be fed in the school and pupils are told to move away from them if they encounter one and tell an adult.
The school also has a Peafowl Incident Log, in which the headteacher can record any damage caused by the birds, as well as occasions where their noise reaches volumes "unconducive to learning".
Under the policy, the school says it will attempt to resolve any issues with the owner, before escalating concerns to "outside agencies" if this approach does not work.
The identity of the complainant who has contacted South Norfolk Council remains a mystery in the village.
He or she has claimed the birds are creating too much noise.
Legally, free-ranging peafowl are not considered wild birds but rather as escaped or feral domestic birds and remain the responsibility of their owner.
If the disturbance and complaints continue, the council can escalate its investigation under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
The council's website suggests if the noise is so loud or persistent that it significantly affects how people live in their homes or prevents them from sleeping, it could become a statutory nuisance.
If officials conclude this is the case, they can serve an abatement notice on the owner requiring him to reduce the noise.
The mystery complainant has many backers in the village of around 4,000 people.
"They are really, really annoying," said one local, who lives opposite where the muster are homed.
"They come into my garden and damage my greenhouse.
"I am not a great fan of them, but I have never complained about them.
"I know a lot of people that live in this row of houses hate them."
The local said the birds can start making noise from as early as 3am in the morning.
The man added: "It is a real thing where people that live in the village that are not right near them love them and think they are great."
Laura Sinclair, who lives in a nearby street, said: "They do wake you up early, especially in mating season, which is quite long.
"They are a pain to be honest. The noise is quite a nuisance."
The male peacocks are louder during mating season, which typically runs between April and September.
They emit a loud screech to try and alert the females – peahens – to their presence.
The loudest times are at dawn and late in the evening.
Despite this, though, the birds still have their fans in the village.
One staff member at the school said: "From our point of view we love them. They’re magnificent creatures."
Rosemary Hanson said she once saw one of the birds trying to board a bus.
She said: "The bus came and the bus driver looked terrified."
Mrs Hanson added that while the birds have got "noisier and noisier every year", she does not find them too disruptive.
She continued: "I live on my own and I quite like it. They come and sit on my fence on one side of the garden."
Janice Morter also defended the peafowl. "I did not know anybody had complained," she said.
"They are just ordinary creatures. They are a feature of the place."
Ann Baker, who lives in the village, added: "They are a bit noisy at times, particularly in breeding season.
"If you keep them out with fences, they are not so dirty."
For his part, Mr Steynor said he was unaware of the complaint but appealed for tolerance.
"They are beautiful birds," he said.
"I am sorry that people might be upset, but I hope British tolerance will continue to apply."
THE NOISY ANIMALS OF NORFOLK
People living in Mulbarton might not be the only ones suffering from noisy peafowl.
King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Council has its own page dedicated to how locals can report nuisances relating to the birds, after a string of complaints were received.
But they are not the only birds to be making such a racket.
A cockerel in Aldeby, near Beccles, was served an ASBO warning in February this year after the early morning crows kept on disturbing a neighbour.
South Norfolk Council later dropped the community protection notice it served after Sue Farthing, its owner, agreed to try and minimise the regular crowing.
Similarly, Keith Graver, from Dereham, ended up with a £120 fine in 2023 after he failed to comply with a noise abatement order issued by Breckland Council following numerous complaints about his chickens.
South Norfolk Council received more than 130 complaints relating to dog barking in 2021.
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