Have you seen missing Mexborough parrot Slippy?

If the answer is yes then it could be missing African grey parrot Slippy whose owner is desperate to get him back.

The pigeon-sized bird made a break from his home on Helena Street, Mexborough, on September 2 and has only been spotted a few times since.

Now Stuart Lawcock (49), his wife Joy (51) and son Daniel (25) hope that someone knows where Slippy is now, or has been looking after him.

But as the days pass, they are increasingly worried about the bird’s well-being.

Stuart said: “We have two cages for Slippy, one inside and one outside.

“Usually he just jumps onto your hand when we take him out and this is the first time we have seen him fly more than a few feet.

“I think he was probably spooked by something. There are a couple of sparrowhawks flying around so it may have been that.”

Stuart said that they have never seen Slippy fly any great distance before, and said he is usually quite clumsy, so they were surprised when he made his bold getaway.

The family have had Slippy for 15 years, and he shares the house with a dog, fish, a snake and an iguana.

Stuart said: “It’s really quiet without Slippy as he is really noisy.”

Stuart said he feared it was now too late to find Slippy but said that if anyone did see the bird they should telephone him on 07891549710.

He said that noisy alarm calls from magpies and blackbirds might be an indication that Slippy is around.

Stuart said that if Slippy is spotted on the ground people should be careful picking him up as he bites. Instead, they should throw a towel over him and put him in a box before calling the owner.

He added that Slippy is not frightened of cats and dogs which could leave him vulnerable.

Stuart has made an appeal to track down Slippy on social media but most responses have been from people who have seen a green parrot which is apparently also flying around the area.