Joanne, who manages a delicatessen in Perth, has been searching for her African grey parrot, Tosh, since September 12. Last night, a Fife man heading home from work in Dundee reported spotting a grey parrot perched on the bridge. Now Joanne, her husband Andrew and daughter Becky are hoping Dundonians will keep an eye out for Tosh, and have offered a reward for his safe return.

Joanne said today, “He could quite easily have made it as far as Dundee, because he’s a big, strong bird. As far as we know, he’s about 12 or 13 years old, but we only got him two and a half years ago. He has quite a badly plucked front, where he’s pulled his feathers out, but otherwise he is, of course, grey with a red tail.”

The bird escaped from the Donald family home, where he was allowed to fly around freely, after a sudden noise gave him a fright and he headed out of a door. Joanne continued, “He's not the tamest of birds. If people call him he probably won’t come to them. The only thing he responds to is a pink towel. It sounds daft, but that’s what he used to land on.”

If anyone can help the Donalds in their search, they can contact Joanne on 01738 620025 between 9am and 5pm, or 01738 626318 in the evenings.

Meanwhile, Dundee woman Dawn Webster is hoping the parrot will turn out to be hers. Her home was raided by burglars earlier this month, and Dawn suspects the African grey seen yesterday may be the one the thieves made off with. The mother says her five children are missing the pet, and she is concerned for its welfare as it has a calcium deficiency, which can cause seizures.

The bird answers to the name of “Cheeky” and is known to be a chatterbox. It will imitate coughing and sneezing noises and recite the children’s names, Connor, Robbie, Michaela, Harlie and Decksilee.

“Dawn said, “We all want the parrot back. It almost like losing a family member.”

Dawn is requesting that anyone who spots the bird calls her on 07941 851495.