Family finds exotic bird gone astray

It wasn’t just warm in Spokane Valley on Monday. For one feathered critter, it was tropical.

Perched in a tall tree in 100-degree heat, a Mexican green conure parrot was found this week by a woman and her children, who lured the bird to safety with some calm words.

“I heard this screeching,” said Cari Powers, a new Spokane Valley resident. “I knew it wasn’t a local bird.”

Powers and her two children, 7-year-old Amanda and 4-year-old Daniel, approached the parrot and spoke softly to it. To their astonishment, it hopped carefully down from branch to branch.

“He actually crawled down out of the tree on my arm and sat on my shoulder,” Powers said.

Once inside, the bird became quite affectionate and drank lots of water, squealing whenever it was left alone. The parrot bird appeared to have flown the coop, Powers said.

On Tuesday, Powers took the bird to the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service’s shelter.

Tropical birds are found in the wild Spokane Valley every three years or so, said SCRAPS director Nancy Hill.

“What a character,” Hill said, noting that the bird has become a quick friend to shelter workers, despite its roosterlike blaring. “We have a towel draped in front of his cage because I believe he’s quite noisy.”

The bird’s owner has yet to be located, though someone has already put their name on the list for first dibs if the rightful owner can’t be found. Anyone who thinks they’ve lost an 8- to 10-inch-tall, loud, green parrot is asked to call SCRAPS at (509) 477-2532.