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GREENSBORO — For the employees at Flow Lexus selling vehicles took a backseat to capturing an exotic bird on Saturday.

Salesman Ted Van Hoy spotted Goldy, a male Reeves pheasant missing from his home in Guilford Hills for about two weeks. The bird was on the side of the building as Van Hoy rounded the corner about 2 p.m. Saturday.

Van Hoy stared at the bird.

Goldy stared back.

Having read the article about Goldy’s disappearance, Van Hoy knew immediately what the bird was.

“Holy smoke,” he said. “This thing was something ... right out of wild kingdom.”

Van Hoy signaled to his coworkers inside the store. “This is the bird,” he said.

Everybody dropped what they were doing — even the customers understood. About four or five of the employees tried to corral Goldy inside the dealership and one of its offices. They had him within arm’s reach a couple of times.

“We had him going there for a second,” Van Hoy said.

But Goldy wasn’t having it. “He was a smart little devil,” he said.

Before taking off, the bird gave a guttural squawk, as if to say “Get out of my way!”

“His wingspan was as long as I am tall,” Van Hoy said. “He looked like a little airplane he was so big in the air.”

Goldy landed in a tree, dropped to the ground and took off again to a large oak.

The Flow Lexus employees just stood there watching and wondering. “What a majestic creature,” Van Hoy said.

Contact Jonnelle Davis at 627-4881, Ext. 126, or jonnelle.davis@news-record.com