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Parrot jaunt

October 14, 2014

An African grey parrot was reunited with his owner in California after four years on the road. No one knows where the bird has been, but he has lost his British accent and now chooses to converse in Spanish.

https://p.dw.com/p/1DVO1
Graupapagei Psittacus erithacus
Image: picture-alliance/dpa Themendienst

Darren Chick from Torrance, California, was delighted to have his pet parrot back after he went missing four years ago, but Nigel has repeatedly called for someone named Larry and refuses to speak English.

Local newspaper The Daily Breeze reported that the bird now chooses to speak only Spanish. When he embarked on his little jaunt, Nigel spoke English with a British accent because his owner hails from the UK.

Chick says, "I knew it was him from the minute I saw him." Nigel is apparently doing fine, despite the language confusion and the fact that no one actually knows who Larry is.

Nigel was discovered in the back yard of a couple from Torrance who run a dog grooming business. Originally, Nigel was thought to belong to Teresa Micco, who had placed an ad for her own missing parrot, The Daily Breeze reported.

African grey parrots, which are considered vulnerable, make good pets and can closely mimic human speech and accents.

ng/ksb (Reuters, AP)