FAIRFIELD -- The peafowl at the Dunnell Nature Park & Education Center may have a key role in a Texas A&M study.

The city was recently contacted by Jessica Yorzinki, a professor from Texas A&M University's Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology Department.

She's with the Yorzinski Lab, which focuses on understanding animal behavior, with an emphasis on sensory ecology, animal communication and conservation.

The UC Davis graduate asked Fairfield for a letter of support to the National Science Foundation.

The city said it will benefit from the partnership as a component of the study, which entails capturing and tagging the population for years of evaluation. The city intended to conduct an updated peafowl population census in 2027.

If the proposal is approved, the city would save money, officials said. It will likely take upward of six months for review.

For more information on the lab, visit https://yorzinskilab.org/#top.