Police seek help after parrot stolen from Long Beach home
Harley, a Yellow-naped Amazon kept in an outdoor cage, was stolen from a Long Beach home at 2:49 a.m., and police are now asking for help finding him.
A family pet that had been part of the household for decades vanished in seconds when two men opened an outdoor cage outside a Long Beach home and took a Yellow-naped Amazon parrot named Harley. Long Beach police said the theft happened June 5 at about 2:49 a.m. in the 3000 block of Cortner Avenue, and investigators have now released images of the suspects, their vehicle and the bird as they work to track him down.
Police said surveillance video showed two suspects approaching the cage, which was outside the home near the front door, before opening it and leaving with the parrot. One suspect was described as a male wearing a blue hoodie, jeans and white shoes. The second was described as a male in dark clothing and dark-colored shoes. Investigators said the pair fled northbound on Cortner Avenue on foot before reportedly getting into a black sedan.
The Long Beach Police Department’s Burglary Detail is leading the case and is urging anyone with information to come forward. Tipsters can contact the Burglary Detail directly or submit an anonymous report through Crime Stoppers. The owners are also offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to Harley’s return, a sign of how much is at stake when a prized companion bird disappears from a neighborhood enclosure.
For bird keepers, the case lands close to home. VCA Animal Hospitals says pet birds rely on owners for housing, food, enrichment and socialization, and stresses that bigger cages are better for large birds. It also warns that birds are naturally curious, can get into dangerous situations if they are not properly supervised, and can suffer heat stroke very quickly if left unattended in hot weather. In this case, the bird had been moved outdoors after the owner’s wife experienced allergic reactions indoors, underscoring the difficult balance many households try to strike between comfort, safety and daily care.
The species itself also explains why the theft drew so much attention. VCA identifies the Yellow-naped Amazon as one of the commonly kept Amazon parrots, while CITES treats Amazona auropalliata as a regulated wildlife-trade species with international conservation significance. CITES maintains the authoritative wildlife trade database dating back to 1975, a reminder that a stolen parrot is not just a lost pet, but a traceable animal with both family and regulatory value.
For Harley’s family, the loss began with an open cage on Cortner Avenue and a black sedan disappearing into the dark. For every parrot keeper who leaves a bird outside, it is a sharp reminder that one unlocked door can turn a familiar morning call into a search.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Did this article answer your question?
