You can also check 911 Parrot Alert, an "international lost and found database" for birds (not restricted to parrots).

An Oxford County bird lover offers these additional tips for finding a lost bird ...

• Birds can be easily spooked, even by people they trust. So, when one is lost, I'd recommend not making sudden movements or loud noises when approaching the bird.
  
  
• Don't assume that your bird has a homing instinct. (Check with experts on your particular breed of bird for more information about this.) Your bird may not know her way home and be very frightened. Calling the bird will reassure her as well as give her the chance to respond to you.
  
  
• If the bird can't be located to be retrieved, after walking around the area in which s/he was lost and calling out for the bird, I would recommend posting flyers around the neighbourhood with a photo and phone number.
  
  
• Also, call the local vets, radio station and police. People don't know where to turn in a lost bird, so it's good to call the police. Some radio stations will announce the details of lost pets, so it's worth a try.

Rachel's story
Rachel, happily reunited with her "mom", at right

The "mom" of Rachel, a red-bellied parrot, sends the following story about Rachel's successful retrieval from the treetops...

Almost immediately after Rachel flew away, I called Lisa at the SuperPet where we bought Rachel. I called to ask if red-bellied parrots have any homing instincts. Lisa was honest in telling me that Rachel would not know how to get home, and would be scared. Therefore, we were sure to continue calling out for her as we walked around the neighbourhood. As long as she could hear us, she would respond. Not only did this make it possible to find her, I thought she would be less frightened if she could hear us.

When we found Rachel she was high up in a tree. Four family members climbed up at different spots, with our nephew, who was smallest, at the highest point, as the branches are thin at that height. We passed up a branch with Rachel's soother - her favourite toy - attached. When she stepped onto the branch, they passed her down to me. We let her climb onto my shoulder, then I walked home with her, very carefully, making no sudden moves, and talking to her. When we got her safely inside, we clipped her wings!

Some vets recommend against clipping wings. I think it depends what you want to do with your pet bird. We like to have Rachel go where we go, so her wings are clipped so that we don't lose her. Otherwise, she'd be relegated to the house or her cage. Rachel loves to be outside, and mostly loves to be with us, so we think this is best.

It's important to know how to do this, so if the bird lover hasn't received instruction, s/he should take the bird to the vet for clipping, at least once to learn which feathers are okay for trimming. If the feathers are trimmed at the right time, immediately after the bird has molted, they should be fine for up to one year. Our mistake was not noticing how much Rachel's feathers had grown!

Next: Found a pet? »

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