Elvis Presley: All About ‘Graceland’s Little Known ‘Bird Room’
Elvis Presley‘s Graceland home is best known for its eclectic series of rooms. The Memphis, Tennessee, historical site is filled with decor, treasures, and trinkets connected to the King of Rock and Roll. However, there is one little-known room connected to Elvis that few fans know of. It’s called the Bird Room.
What is Elvis Presley’s Bird Room at Graceland?
Right off the Jungle Room was Elvis Presley’s Bird Room. The room was used to house an eclectic group of feathered friends.
According to Express, who spoke to Angie Marchese, Graceland’s archivist, a smaller room right off the wildly decorated Graceland room was where a series of birds lived. These included myna birds, which are feathered friends from the starling family.
“The myna birds here at Graceland would hear the maids talk a lot about Elvis not being at home. And so the myna birds would often repeat that,” Marchese said.
“The funniest story I’ve ever heard about the myna birds is that when they would hear that Elvis wasn’t home, they would say, ‘Elvis isn’t home right now! Elvis isn’t home right now!’”
She concluded, “But then when Elvis was home, the myna birds would continue to tell people, ‘Elvis isn’t home right now! Elvis isn’t home right now!’ Even though he was home, which was funny.”
What is the Bird Room used for today?
Eventually, as with many of Elvis Presley’s hobbies, his interest in the birds petered out. While it is unknown when the birds exited the property, quick use was made of the room they once resided in.
Today, the Bird Room is used to store Graceland’s cleaning supplies. It also houses barriers for when photoshoots for the mansion take place.
However, the Myrna Birds’ exit wasn’t the end of a series of feathered friends who roamed Graceland’s extensive property. Elvis also housed a series of stunning peacocks on the property. However, they didn’t last long.
What happened to the peacocks that roamed Graceland’s grounds?
Elvis Presley admired peacocks. As a follower of many different religions, Elvis appreciated that the birds represented eternal life in some beliefs.
However, his interest in the birds waned after they seriously damaged one of Elvis’ prized possessions. Per Angie Marchese, the birds pecked the paint off one of the King of Rock and Roll’s prized automobiles.
“There were some pet peacocks that ran around the property here at Graceland at one point. That was until they started seeing their reflection in the gold Cadillac and started pecking the paint off the car,” she revealed.
“Needless to say, the car got a paint job. Subsequently, the peacocks found a new home at the Memphis Zoo.”
However, that wasn’t the end of peacocks at Graceland. Linda Thompson, Elvis’ girlfriend in the early 1970s, designed two stained glass panels of the birds, which were put up in the home’s Music Room and are enjoyed by fans to this day.
Elvis Presley purchased Graceland for $102,500 on March 18, 1957. The home’s Whitehaven location was relatively isolated and rural when he purchased it. However, when he died in August 1977, Elvis Presley Boulevard, where Graceland is located, became overdeveloped.
