A parrot from the UK that went missing for four years has been reunited with its owner, but with an unexpected twist in the bird’s abilities.
Originally speaking with a British accent, the parrot named Nigel had picked up Spanish during its absence.
This joyful reunion happened in 2014 when a California vet confused Nigel for her lost parrot.
Realizing her mistake, Teresa Micco checked Nigel’s microchip and traced the owner, Darren Chick.
Darren, who hails from the UK but resides in Torrance, was contacted by Teresa.
“I introduced myself and said, ‘Have you lost a bird?'” Teresa shared with the Torrance Daily Breeze.
“He initially said, ‘No’. But he thought I meant recently.”
Upon confirming Darren’s identity, Teresa explained that a woman named Julia Sperling had found the lost parrot.
“He looked at me like I was crazy,” she recalled.
Darren revealed that Nigel had disappeared four years before and was stunned to hear that the parrot now spoke Spanish.
The reunion was deeply moving for Darren, who confessed he was emotional when he found out Nigel had been found.
“He’s doing perfect,” Darren stated. “It’s really weird. I knew it was him from the minute I saw him.”
Julia, who found the parrot, commented: “He was the happiest bird. He was singing and talking without control. He was barking like the dogs.
“I’m from Panama and he was saying, ‘What happened?’ in Spanish.”
After the story became public over 10 years ago, a family contacted Darren, suggesting Nigel might be the parrot they acquired at a garage sale years prior.
During Nigel’s time missing, he found a new family who referred to him as Morgan.
The family expressed their sadness after the bird escaped earlier that month.
The Torrance Daily Breeze reported that following a conversation with Liza Smith, whose grandparents had purchased the bird, Darren agreed to let Nigel stay with the family that had cared for him while he was missing.
Smith explained that her Guatemalan-born grandfather taught Nigel Spanish.
“We’re just over the moon,” Smith told the newspaper, noting the unique connection between Nigel and her grandfather.
“My grandma passed away about two years ago, and he is one of the last mementos for my grandpa,” she said.
“Morgan’s loss has been hard on him. They have a very special bond.”