Parrot Flew The Coop, But Decatur Mom Wants Him Home

DECATUR, GA — Many of us know the feeling when your pet goes missing, and the effort to find our furry — or, sometimes, not furry — best friends. We post flyers, search nearby neighborhoods and share images on social media in the hopes that someone will see our pet.

But can you imagine being able to only hear your pet, but not see them? For longtime Decatur resident Laurie Sanii, she's learned the feeling all too well in the last 24 hours.

Sanii's 18-year-old Moluccan King Parrot, Darwin, is missing. And while it's hard to spot a bird in the dozens of trees nearby, Sanii says she can hear his distinct whistle.

She and her husband, Robert Kriegel, are having their house painted. When crews came by Wednesday morning to pressure wash the exterior, Sanii opened the door to speak to them — and accidentally held the door open a little too long.

Darwin flew out the front door and he's been gone ever since. She posted photos of Darwin with a callout for help on Facebook, and her post has received more than 200 shares as of Thursday morning.

"I stupidly didn't close the door behind me," Sanii told Patch. "I stood with the door open talking to the pressure washing guy and Darwin flew over to my shoulder, and then flew out the front door. I've had them for 18 years, and I've never done something stupid like that."

When referring to "them," Sanii meant Darwin and her other parrot, Sydney. Unfortunately, Sydney died last month after a freak accident flying into a glass door.

"We took her to the vet and did everything we could, but she died about a week later [after the accident] from injuries, I'm sure," Sanii said. "And then this happened to him yesterday, but he's still alive. I can hear him."

Sanii said Darwin has a very distinct whistle — and a distinct color — that's much different from the wild birds that live in the area. She and Darwin have called Decatur home since 2006, and live in townhomes near the intersection of Clairemont Avenue and Scott Boulevard.

She spent nearly all day Wednesday calling for him, walking around playing a recording of his whistle from a portable speaker so he could hear her. She set his cage out on her back deck Wednesday night, stocked it with food and left it open if he came home. She even left her back lights on all night.

He still hasn't come back. But in a phone call to Patch Thursday morning, she said she can hear him.

"We don't have any kids. These are our kids," Sanii said. "I'm so worried. I can hear him right behind the house somewhere, so he's trying to come back home."

Painters are coming to paint the house Thursday, so she'll have to stop looking for him and bring his gear back inside until the painters are finished. But if anyone sees him, Sanii asked to contact her at 404-987-2123 or via Facebook.

And if you hear a whistle like the ones below, that might be him: