How to Help Find a Lost Parrotlet in the United States

How can you tell a lost bird is a parrotlet?

Parrotlets are the smallest parrots kept as pets, at under six inches from head to tail tip (PetMD). Look for:

• Size and shape: smaller than a budgie, stocky, with a short tail and a thick parrot beak. A budgie has a long, pointed tail and wavy markings on its head and wings.
• Color: most are green. Male Pacific parrotlets, the most common pet species, have a dark cobalt-blue lower back and rump; females are green there with a blue tinge behind the eye (World Parrot Trust).
• Mutations: pet parrotlets also come in blue, darker green, yellow and white (PetMD), so a small blue or yellow parrot may still be a parrotlet.
• Pet signs: a leg band, sharp contact calls, or tame behavior such as landing near people.

Lovebirds look similar but are larger, and many have a peach, red or dark face. Whatever the species, the steps below are the same.

What should you do the moment you see a lost parrotlet?

1. Stay calm and do not chase it. Pet FBI, a US lost-pet nonprofit, notes that a startled bird flies farther than one that moves on its own.
2. Note the exact spot, the time and the direction it flies. A photo or short video helps the owner confirm it.
3. Keep it in sight if you can; a small green bird disappears into a tree in seconds.
4. If it stays low, put a shallow dish of water and some plain birdseed or millet in an open spot you can watch.
5. Bring cats and dogs indoors and ask neighbors to do the same.
6. Search lost parrotlet ads near you and compare color, sex markings and location.

Owners usually search close to where the bird escaped and listen around sunrise and sunset, when birds are most vocal. If you can, be near the spot at those times.

How do you catch a lost parrotlet safely?

Only try with a bird that comes down to you or is already low and calm; never climb trees or roofs.

1. Move slowly and talk softly. Offer seed on a flat hand or on a stick held level with its chest.
2. If it steps up, cup your other hand gently over its back, or drape a light towel over it. PetMD notes parrotlets can be nippy, and a frightened one will bite.
3. Hold it loosely around the shoulders and never squeeze its body, which can stop it breathing.
4. Put it in a small pet carrier or a shoebox-size box with small air holes, and close it securely.
5. Keep it in a warm, quiet, dim room, with water in a shallow dish and seed scattered on the floor.
6. Wash your hands afterwards; the CDC notes birds can carry psittacosis without looking sick.

Who should you contact about a found parrotlet?

A microchip is unlikely: avian clinics and bird suppliers commonly set a minimum of about 100 to 150 grams for chipping, and a parrotlet weighs about 30. The closed leg band is usually its only identification, so note its letters and numbers but do not try to remove it.

How do you make sure the claimant is the owner?

Keep one or two details out of any public post, such as the band code, the sex markings or a missing toe. Then ask the person claiming the bird:

• What species and color is it, and is it male or female?
• What does the band say?
• Can you send photos or video of you with this bird before it was lost?
• Does it have a mate at home, and what does it eat?

Hand it over in person, at a vet clinic or another safe public place, and never pay or accept fees from someone who cannot answer these questions.

What if no owner comes forward?

Report the bird to animal control and follow its guidance; how long you must hold a found animal, and who may keep it, depends on your city and state. Keep the parrotlet warm, alone and fed meanwhile, and do not sell it or give it away while its owner may still be searching. You can also post a found-bird ad so the owner can reach you.

If the bird needs a new home in the end, a bird rescue can help. How to buy a parrotlet explains the care it needs, and how to sell parrotlets lists the records worth passing on to a new owner. If your own bird is missing, read what to do when your parrotlet is lost.