Family searches Lowestoft for missing African grey parrot Coco

A loud bang on the evening of May 9 sent Coco off from his home in Lowestoft, Suffolk, and the search for the 7-year-old African grey has now stretched as far as Bungay, about 15 miles away. Coco is no ordinary missing bird. He can whistle The River Kwai March and say, “what ya saying bruv,” the kind of detail that makes him instantly recognizable if someone hears him in a garden, hedgerow or back lane.

That same personality is what makes the search urgent. Ami said Coco is not a strong flyer, but she also said he does not “step up,” so anyone who spots him should contact the family rather than try to catch him directly. That matters with parrots, especially after a scare. A frightened bird may go silent, cling to cover and avoid people, even when it is close enough to hear. In practice, the first 24 hours should start near home: Birdline Parrot Rescue advises searching within about a 1-mile radius, calling continuously and playing bird sounds on a phone speaker to pull a bird’s attention back.

For African greys, the safest recovery tactics are the simplest ones done early and repeatedly. RSPCA guidance says pet birds need environments where they can fly, climb, perch, hide, feed and roost naturally, which helps explain why an escaped parrot may head for trees, roofs and high perches instead of landing near a person. RSPCA training advice also notes that birds can be taught to step on and off a hand or stick on cue, and that is exactly why a bird that has never learned the command is harder to bring down safely once it is spooked. If Coco answers from cover, the best move is to keep voices calm, keep the bird in earshot and avoid forcing a chase.

Ami’s search has also run into a modern hazard that missing-bird families now know too well: online scammers. She said people sent AI-generated images of Coco and tried to pressure her for money. It is a cruel twist on a familiar parrot story, made sharper by the fact that African grey parrots are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and are protected in trade through permits under UK CITES rules. For Coco, the immediate job remains the same as it was on May 9: listen for the whistle, keep searching close, and move carefully if the bird appears.