Coral Taylor is reunited with Billie, the cockatoo, after he chewed through a harness and went missing on Tuesday, July 20. (submitted photo/Catherine Gwyer)

By Ian Holmes

missing cockatoo

Frantic search underway in Nanaimo for missing vulnerable exotic bird

Jul 21, 2021 | 1:55 PM

UPDATE — An intensive search for a missing vulnerable cockatoo had a happy ending.

An exotic cockatoo named Billie, who isn’t much larger than a crow, was rescued by its owner at about 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 21 a day after flying away from its central Nanaimo home.

Ladner based parrot refuge director Catherine Gwyer assisted with the rescue, noting the bird was spotted near its owner’s home in a tree at about 2 p.m. in the area of Waddington Rd. and Oakley Cres.

Gwyer said the cockatoo named Billie was then spotted in a nearby tree when it took food from its owner, but flew off before swooping back for another snack.

“He came back again, so she just grabbed him. You kind of have one chance really when you get that close, so she took it and thank god she was successful.”

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Gwyer has attended numerous similar search missions, stating usually the outcome is not positive as frightened birds contend with larger predators.

“It’s scary, you have a very limited window of opportunity to get the bird back.”

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EARLIER — NANAIMO — A recently adopted pet cockatoo flew away from its central Nanaimo home, spawning a search for the bird not used to the wild.

Catherine Gwyer, director of Ladner-based Greyhaven Exotic Bird Sanctuary, said the bird chewed through its owners harness and wound up in a tree outside its Waddington Rd. home near Moyse Cres. around noon on Tuesday, July 20.

The bird, named Billie, has spent its life in captivity. He is a former World Parrot Refuge resident in Coombs before the facility closed in 2016 then moved to the Ladner parrot refuge before he was recently adopted, Gwyer said.

Earlier efforts to rescue Billie were unsuccessful after he initially escaped.

She said Billie remained in the tree upwards of 50 feet high for roughly 12 hours before taking off.

She said three female cockatoos were used in a bid to coax Billie out of the tree.

“He was definitely interested. There was a lot of calling back and forth between the birds, but he just couldn’t make the jump to come back to them.”

Gwyer asks people to be on the lookout for Billie in places like their backyard or tree branches in the Nanaimo area.

“He’s quite vocal, he will be calling, especially in the early evening before the sun starts to go down,” Gwyer said, who noted Billy is an excellent flier who could cover 50 km a day, which could hamper the search effort.

Cockatoo’s are native to Australia and the south Pacific and are typically a little bigger than crows.

While Billie is timid, Gwyer said he’s intelligent and resourceful.

“He’ll probably find water and he may find blackberries and things like that. Usually by the third day that they are out they’re starting to get really hungry,” Gwyer said.

People who believe they’ve spotted Billie are asked to contact its distraught owner Coral Taylor at 250-713-9990.

Gwyer said Billie is most at risk of predators such as hawks, eagles and large crows.

She said the Nanaimo and District SPCA is aware Billie is missing and vowed to help reconnect him with his owner if he’s found.

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes