A rare parrot who fled his Shropshire cage has been reunited with his owner after almost a year.

Aussie, the Australian King Parrot, fled from his Ludlow home last July.

He stayed on the run for almost a year but was spotted by an eagle-eyed resident in Caynham, three miles from his home.

Owner Keith Pierce said: “We’d had Aussie for three years. He’s an Australian king parrot and they are quite rare.

“For some reason he got out of his cage. The cage was outdoors but he got out, I’m not sure how. The door must have been open because he would not have been able to open it himself.

“There were sightings locally for two to three weeks. Friends and neighbours saw him but then he disappeared and we thought he was dead.”

Mr Pierce, a builder, added that Aussie probably made a nest and survived on scraps.

He said: “He wouldn’t have migrated to Australia, it’s a bit too far. Logically, he would have survived on food for other birds.”

Mr Pierce added that Aussie returned to Caynham and he was alerted by a friend.

He said: “He was spotted a couple of miles away. Somebody said they’d seen him. So we went to look. It was at Caynham. He was in a tree. I called him and whistled his favourite tune – an out of key Marseillaise.

“He came and stood by my feet. I sat on the ground beside him and he let me pick him up.”

Mr Pierce added: “He is now back at home.

“Aussie survived in the wild for 11 months but is in very good condition.

“The family feel that after his year out, Aussie is glad to be home where life is much easier. My son, Glen, who is 17, is particularly glad that he is home.”