Spooked parrot flies 155 miles from home in New Zealand

Feb. 8 (UPI) -- A 3-year-old Macaw parrot who became spooked and flew away from his New Zealand home was spotted nine days later -- 155 miles away.

Hamish and Lulu Peterson said they have raised the parrot, named Pablo, since he was 4 months old, and they trained him as a free-flying bird, allowing him to wander around the community of Russell in the Bay of Islands and respond to whistles from his owners.

The couple said Pablo fled the area nine days ago when he was spooked by a neighbor.

The Petersons and their son, Kaleb, have now traveled 155 miles to East Auckland after numerous reported Pablo sightings in the area.

"There are not that many free-flighted macaws around, so we just looked at each other and said, 'We've got to go,'" Lulu Peterson told One News.

The couple said Pablo's movements in the past couple days appear to be centered around Pigeon Mountain, in the Auckland suburb of Half Moon Bay.

"We've had so many close calls, especially yesterday and the day before. He was just at the bottom of the hill here, and he was just so close, and then a car goes by," Lulu Peterson said.