A British man was stunned when his missing parrot came home after four years and started speaking Spanish. The bird, named Nigel, had vanished from Torrance, California, and was finally found living under a new name.
A local vet thought the bird was hers at first. After checking the microchip, she discovered Nigel belonged to a man named Darren. She reached out to him and asked if he had lost a bird.
He said no at first, thinking she meant recently. When she mentioned his name and the details, he realized it was his long-lost pet.
Nigel had been found by a woman named Julia, who said he was cheerful and nonstop talking. She said: “He was the happiest bird. He was singing and talking without control. He was barking like the dogs. I’m from Panama and he was saying, ‘What happened?’ in Spanish.”
That’s when they realized Nigel had picked up a whole new language.
When Darren reunited with him, he said: “He’s doing perfect. It’s really weird. I knew it was him from the minute I saw him.” The reunion was emotional and unexpected after all that time apart. Darren admitted that he teared up knowing Nigel was safe.
After the story spread, another family came forward saying they had bought the bird at a garage sale years earlier and had called him Morgan. They said he had flown away again only weeks before the reunion. It turned out that while Nigel was gone, he had made a second family.
The woman from that family explained that her grandfather was from Guatemala and had taught the parrot Spanish. She said: “We’re just over the moon.” She also said her grandfather and Nigel shared a special bond, and the bird reminded him of her late grandmother.
Nigel’s story ended with the families agreeing to let him go back to the people who cared for him while he was missing. Both sides were touched by the strange and happy ending, and Nigel kept his new skill as a bilingual bird.
