$900 parrot stolen from pet store

WAUKESHA, Wis., Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Police in Waukesha, Wis., say a $900 blue Quaker parrot was stolen from a locked cage at a local pet store.

Investigators said Pet World Warehouse Outlet employees noticed the bottom portion of the cage had been popped open and the young female bird was missing at about 4:30 p.m. Nov. 20, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Tuesday.

Amanda McFarlane, an assistant manager at the store, said the parrot arrived at the store Oct. 17, only a few months after it hatched. She said employees had not yet given the bird a name because they were waiting to see what her personality was like.

McFarlane said the theft was not caught by the store's security video because the parrot's cage was outside the view of the camera. She said the bird could not have flown off on her own but likely would not have objected to being handled by the thief.

"Someone could easily put it in their jacket and she would be quite content," McFarlane said.