SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — For years, the city of Oviedo has been inhabited by a lot of wild birds, especially chickens.

A couple decades ago, the city was designated a "bird sanctuary," which means it is against the law to harm the birds in any way.

Chickens have called Oviedo home for so long, people have gotten used to them.

But perhaps, no one in Oviedo loves chickens quite as much as Mayor Megan Sladek.

"Birds love 'em! So if you go along fencelines, you'll a lot of times find these little blueberry bushes," she said.

She is a big fowl fan, but she knows not everyone in town shares that same fondness, which is why she is glad that Oviedo has been designated a bird sanctuary.

"I think it started out with the chickens, but now, we don't allow anybody to harm any of our birds," she said.

It is spelled out in the city code. It is against the law to hunt, kill, maim, trap, or molest them. According to the Oviedo city code, it is also illegal to harm or disrupt any bird nest found within corporate city limits.​

Having this designation is just one of the reasons Sladek is proud to live in Oviedo.

"I guess, I was born here, moved away after graduating from high school, and it took me about nine years to get all the way back," she said.

And even though Oviedo has changed and developed a lot during her time here, she says chickens have been and continue to be the common thread that everyone in town can talk about.

"If you have a chicken, and you can't keep it alive at your house, or you don't know what to do with it, then you just ... you bring it where somebody will take care of it," she revealed.

As you can guess, a lot of times, she says people will leave them here, where they know their presence will be embraced.

In fact, you will notice a lot of businesses in this area have taken it even a step further and used the chickens in their marketing or even made them their mascot!

You will find a few businesses, like Kelly's Homemade Ice Cream, with a sign on its door telling people not to mess with the chickens.

Ashley Giuliano says it is important to them.

"So Billy's our rooster. He's part of our Kelly's family. We find him on the hill. He actually lives in a little hole that he dug for himself," said Giuliano, the assistant manager of the ice cream shop.

That way, even their out-of-town customers know to be sweet to him.

So really, Sladek thinks the bird sanctuary designation is just a formality because she thinks most people in town do not just co-exist with the chickens; they care about them.