The female peacock missing from the Bronx Zoo was nabbed today by bird-loving mechanics at an auto glass shop about 10 blocks from the zoo. Once the jig was up, the fugitive fowl tweeted: "Thank you for all the support, humans. Remember that freedom at times can be short lived, so make the best of it right now! Beaky smoochies!"

Our Barry Paddock reports:

They spotted the Green Peahen crossing E. Tremont Ave. about 9 a.m. "I was really surprised," said Matos Edison, 47, owner of Barahona Auto Glass. "Why is it in the street?"

Edison, who dotes on eight parakeets in his office, plucked the runaway bird out of traffic. "I was happy because I'm the one who caught it." he said. "No one else caught it but me."

"It was in the street," said mechanic Jose Ventura, 26, who witnessed the rescue. "The car almost hit it. He saved its life."

After the mechanics called 911 and the zoom they put the bird in a grassy lot, but it flew over the fence.

"We called everyone to get someone to get it," Ventura said. "It was trying to fly away but it couldn't. One of its wings was hurt."

Cops arrived in about 10 minutes, followed by relieved zoo officials. Zoo director Jim Breheny carried the peahen away.