Shropshire Star

This friendly parrot landed on the shoulder of an unsuspecting gardener

The RSPCA is asking anyone who suspects they are missing a pet parrot to contact them.

Published
The parrot arrived in a garden in west London (RSPCA/PA)

A parrot paid a surprise visit to a gardener as he was enjoying the weekend sunshine in west London.

The “tame” Amazon parrot swooped down and landed on the man’s shoulder while he was hanging out with a friend in the back garden of his Ealing home.

The colourful animal was so well-behaved the gardener suspected it might be a missing pet, so he called the RSPCA for assistance.

The parrot arrived in a garden in west London (RSPCA/PA)

Jill Sanders, animal collection officer at the RSPCA, suggested that warmer temperatures could have led to an “accidental escape”.

“This parrot’s really handsome and very friendly, so we’re pretty sure he or she is someone’s pet,” she said.

“We do get a lot of calls about stray parrots in the warmer months due to accidental escape, which can happen when owners take their birds outside on a perch or hand, or let their birds fly around the house but forget to close their windows or doors first.

“Unfortunately, the parrot wasn’t microchipped so can’t be identified, and we do not yet know whether it’s a male or female without a DNA test. But I’m sure someone must be missing this lovely bird, so if you know anything please do contact our appeals line on 0300 123 8018.”

Last year, the charity collected more than 450 stray birds belonging to the parrot family.

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