Nigel the parrot was owned by British man Darren Chick when he got lost four years ago. But when the African grey parrot was found through accessing the bird's microchip, Chick discovered that he has lost his British accent and now speaks Spanish.
"It's really weird, I knew it was him from the minute I saw him," Chick said, according to The Independent.
The parrot disappeared from a southern California home and stayed with a family in Torrance for the four years he was missing. While Chick was overjoyed to finally find Nigel, he gave the bird to the family who adopted him.
The family said they were heartbroken after the bird, which they named Morgan, flew away from their home at the Redondo Beach earlier this month, Daily Breeze reported.
Liza Smith said that her grandparents bought the parrot and that it learned Spanish from her Guatemalan-born grandfather.
“We’re just over the moon,” Smith said, adding that the bird is a special friend to her 86-year-old grandfather, Rubén Hernández, especially after he lost his wife two years ago.
The parrot “is one of the last mementos for my grandpa,” Smith said, according to The Guardian. “Morgan’s loss has been hard on him. They have a very special bond.”
