Police searching for screaming woman find loud parrot

July 11 (UPI) -- Police responding to a report of a screaming woman in Essex, England, were surprised to discover the source of the suspicious sound was actually a squawking pet parrot.

Steve Wood, 54, who detailed the incident in a video he posted to social media, said he was initially confused when police showed up at his Canvey Island home.

"I thought, 'Oh my god, what have I done?'" Wood told BBC Essex. "I opened the door to two laughing police officers and they said, 'Don't worry mate, I think we've got this one sussed.'"

The officers explained they had received a report of a screaming woman, but when they arrived on Wood's property it immediately became clear that the sound was actually the squawking of one of Wood's 22 pet parrots.

Wood said all of his parrots tend to be vocal in the mornings and evenings, but one of the birds, 3-year-old Freddie, has been especially loud lately.

"I'm just surprised it hasn't happened previously," he said of the police visit.

Wood, a retired police officer, praised the officers who showed up at his home.

"I thought the police did an extremely good job in turning up to protect families. A family could have been around, so the police attended properly," he told EssexLive.