Parrot back home after fending off hawks for two days in Texas tree

March 20 (UPI) -- A Texas man's pet parrot is home safe after being stranded for two days in a high tree and fending off attacks from hungry hawks.

Giulio Ferrari said his 15-year-old Catalina macaw, named Samba, became spooked by a gust of wind during a photo shoot on Sunday in Lewisville and made his way into a 40-foot tree with vertical branches.

Firefighters attempted to use ladders to reach Samba, but he fled to higher branches, Ferrari said.

Ferrari said Samba was able to fend off multiple hawk attacks on Monday, which left the bird exhausted.

He said the parrot was found to have moved Tuesday to a tree with horizontal branches lower to the ground.

Ferrari borrowed a bag of chips from CBS News Texas reporter Caroline Vandergriff, who was on scene covering Samba's plight, and the sound of the rustling snack bag caused Samba to fly down to his owner's waiting arms.

"It's like my soul has reentered my body. When this happened my soul left my body for three days," Ferrari told NBC DFW. "I haven't been sleeping well, I haven't been eating. It's been tough. I'm exhausted, physically and mentally."

Ferrari said he celebrated his reunion with Samba by taking the bird out for his favorite treat: mango gelato.

Samba, who previously escaped for a three-day adventure that made headlines in 2012, was examined by a veterinarian and is now resting from his ordeal at home.