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Austintown parrot who flew coop home for holidays
By AMANDA TONOLI
AUSTINTOWN
Keiko, a friendly 1-year-old parrot who says “tickle tickle,” “good boy” and “hello,” overshot his flight to greet a visiting neighbor Saturday afternoon and ended up losing his way.
“When our neighbor came over to give us a Christmas gift, he was on his perch and went to say hello, and when he [the neighbor] flinched, he [Keiko] went right past him and just flew,” said Jeff Petrycki, owner.
Jeff and Kristen Petrycki, his wife, frantically searched for their feathered family member throughout the weekend. They filed a police report for their missing bird shortly after Keiko flew away.
“I hopped in the truck and took off after him. I figured we’d never get him back. If the cold weather didn’t get him, a stray cat wandering around would,” Jeff said.
Petrycki said his daughter who was visiting the Pittsburgh Aviary was distraught being around birds when her bird was gone.
Because Keiko had never gotten out before, Jeff said he feared the cold wind and icy rain over the weekend would confuse the tropical bird, making it difficult for him to find his way back.
On Monday morning, Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Stephen Murphy spotted a green parrot wandering the parking lot of Mahoning County Area Court #4 in Austintown while he was delivering papers.
Through a series of phone calls and communications, Petrycki was contacted by officers at the patrol about a bird matching the description of Keiko. He hurriedly left work to go pick up his best bird.
Petrycki said when he walked into the post, Keiko was sitting on Murphy’s shoulder while Murphy was doing paperwork.
“I said, ‘Keiko!’ and he came right to me and cuddled up to my face kind of like, ‘Daddy!’” Petrycki said. “And then I asked, ‘Well did you learn anything?’ and he let out a squawk like, ‘Okay, I’m ready to go home now.’”
The Petryckis said they couldn’t be more thankful for Murphy and his kind efforts to rescue Keiko from the harsh weather and bring him back to them for the holidays.
“It actually is a miracle,” Kristen Petrycki said.
Now, Keiko, with the behavior comparable to that of a toddler, is noticeably happy to be home with his family. Petrycki said Keiko has been taking a lot of naps and has a slight sneeze after his outdoor adventures.