Exotic baby bird worth $1200 allegedly stolen, returned to Petstock Darwin

An exotic baby bird has been returned to its nest three days after it was allegedly stolen from a Darwin pet shop.

An exotic baby bird has returned to the nest three days after it was allegedly stolen from a Darwin pet shop.

The $1200 rose crowned conure was allegedly plucked from its Petstock Darwin cage by a browsing customer on Monday.

Petstock Darwin store manager Tameka Marshall said police returned the bird to the shop on Thursday morning.

The Petstock Darwin team celebrates the return of a rose crowned conure.

Ms Marshall said the bird was “really happy, in really good condition” but had lost some weight during its ordeal.

“He obviously won’t be out on the shop floor or anything for a few days until he’s made that full recovery,” she said.

Ms Marshall said she’d had a gut feeling the bird would be returned safe and sound.

“We’re definitely all very happy and excited and glad that he’s back,” she said.

It is understood the man who allegedly stole the bird is being dealt with by police.

NT Police have been contacted for comment.

Feathers ruffled after $1200 bird heist

A man has ruffled feathers after he stole an exotic baby bird from a Darwin pet store.

Petstock Darwin store manager Tameka Marshall said the rose crowned conure – with a $1200 price tag – was the first of its breed to come into the store in about 12-18 months.

Ms Marshall said the bird thief entered the Millner shop at 1.55pm Monday and left three minutes later.

“The customer had come into the store, he was assisted by both of our team members, asking if he needed any help,” she said.

“He just said no, that he was browsing.

“I stepped into the office to make a phone call and as this had happened he had walked up to the cage and had seen how friendly the bird was … and he’s taken it out and popped it under his shirt and left the store.”

A $1200 rose crowned conure has been stolen from Petstock Darwin. This picture is not the missing bird, but another of the same species for reference.

Ms Marshall said she was concerned for the bird’s safety, both due to its age and its care requirements.

“Being an exotic bird, it does need that extra care, it does need someone who understands what birds need and the fact that it needs to be out of the cage and interacting with humans and having that extra love,” she said.

“We really want the bird back, it needs to go to a loving and caring home that knows all about animals – and birds especially – as they’re very intelligent and smart.”

Petstock’s CCTV footage shows this man taking the $1200 bird from its cage while employees were not looking.

Petstock’s CCTV footage shows the man leaving the shop and walking into the neighbouring outdoor shop, Anaconda.

Anaconda employee Nallah Oltrot said she saw the man walk into her shop with the bird, but thought he had found it outside.

Ms Oltrot said she had approached the front registers when she first spotted the man with the bird in his hand.

She said she had approached the man and asked if she could pat the baby bird.

Ms Oltrot said the man told her the bird was “really friendly” and let her stroke its feathers.

Anaconda would not supply CCTV footage of the strange encounter.

A $1200 rose crowned conure has been stolen from Petstock Darwin.

An NT Police spokesman said the incident was reported at 2:40pm Monday.

He said an unknown person had entered the business in the Jape Homemaker Village and stolen a rose crowned conure.

The spokesman said police ​w​ere investigating the incident and ​urged anyone with information​ to contact ​police on 131 444​ and quote reference 10520223.