A missing pet parakeet has been spotted guzzling a can of Irn-Bru after escaping from its owner.
Billy, a green parakeet, disappeared earlier this month from his owner’s home in Caldercruix, Lanarkshire, before discovering Scotland’s other national drink.
Despite the sighting and desperate search efforts, the bird remains on the loose.
View 2 ImagesA parrot on run has a taste for Irn-Bru
Jamie Clark spotted Billy helping himself to a drink near a row of bins by one of the village’s shops.
Posting on Facebook, he wrote: “Anyone lost a parrot? It’s at the bins just up from the bottom shop drinking Irn-Bru!”
He added: “There was rubbish all over the place. That’s how I noticed him. He must have been at the bins trying to get food or water.”
Friends of Billy’s owner have appealed to residents to keep an eye out for the missing bird and leave out food and fresh water to help him survive until he is safely reunited with his family.
View 2 ImagesA parrot on run has a taste for Irn-Bru
One Facebook post said: “If anyone sees (Lauren’s dad’s) parrot, please let the family know. He will need food and water. This heat is intolerable.
“His name is Billy. If people can leave out some vegetables, unsalted nuts and water in a sheltered area, such as under a shed or another covered spot, we’d really appreciate it. If anyone is able to get him safely inside, please let us know.”
Billy is understood to be a rose-ringed parakeet, which are native to tropical northern and central Africa as well as India.
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Anyone who spots the parakeet has been advised to contain it using a towel or by placing a box over it.
The Scottish SPCA should then be contacted immediately while keeping the bird in a quiet, dark space until help arrives.