Tell-tale parrot exposes cheating girlfriend

[TeamCasey]

Tell-tale parrot exposes cheating girlfriend
Report: Ziggy squawked, ‘I love you, Gary,’ but his owner’s name was Chris

MSNBC
Updated: 9:17 a.m. ET Jan. 17, 2006


LONDON - Chris Taylor, a 30-year-old British computer programmer, grew suspicious of his live-in girlfriend when his pet parrot began to imitate her saying, “I love you, Gary.”

Ziggy, an 8-year-old African gray parrot, would also make kissing noises whenever the name Gary was mentioned on TV and would mimic Suzy Collins saying, “Hiya, Gary,” every time she answered her mobile phone.

Confronted with the evidence, Collins admitted to a month-long affair with a coworker named Gary and moved out of their shared Leeds apartment that same night.

“I wasn’t sorry to see the back of Suzy after what she did, but it really broke my heart to let Ziggy go,” Taylor, 30, told the Times of London in its online edition Tuesday. “I love him to bits and I really miss having him around, but it was torture hearing him repeat that name over and over again.

“Ziggy was one in a million; he was a loyal friend, and I have no doubt he was looking out for me.”

Taylor said Ziggy, who was named after a David Bowie song, has found a new home thanks to a local parrot dealer.

Collins, 25, told the newspaper she was staying with friends and said she shed no tears for the tell-tale bird.

“I’m not proud of what I did but I’m sure Chris would be the first to admit we were having problems,” said Collins, a call-center worker. “We had spoken about splitting up several times and I think it was inevitable.”

She added: “I’m surprised to hear he’s got rid of that bloody bird; he spent more time talking to it than he did to me. I couldn’t stand Ziggy, and it looks now the feeling was mutual.”

[Dom Heffner]

I have no doubt he was looking out for me.”

I would never make it as a reporter because I would have asked a follow-up to this ridiculous statement.

[pedro]

[Redsland]

This is why I always insist on being called by my nickname, "Squawk."

[Roy Tucker]

Originally Posted by TeamCasey

“Ziggy was one in a million; he was a loyal friend, and I have no doubt he was looking out for me.”

Reminds me of the country song "My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend And I Sure Do Miss Him".

[RedFanAlways1966]

Dead parrots tell no tales....!

I wonder how much parrot sales will increase once all of those jealous-male-types read about this story?

[Redsland]

I wonder who wore the eye patch in that relationship.

[SteelSD]

She added: “I’m surprised to hear he’s got rid of that bloody bird; he spent more time talking to it than he did to me."

Sweetie, that's probably because the average African Gray is smarter than you.

Heck, your average African Gray is smarter than 75% of the girls I've ever dated. That's ok though because we're talking about the Einsteins of the parrot world. I've found the real litmus test is the Moluccan cockatoo. If your girlfriend is dumber than one of those, you've got real issues.

[flyer85]

I thought maybe the parrott flew away with the bedsheet.

[macro]

Originally Posted by Redsland

This is why I always insist on being called by my nickname, "Squawk."

That line reminded me of one of Jack Handey's "Deep Thoughts", which used to appear on Saturday Night Live several years ago:

"Those crows must be trying to tell me something, thought Caw."

[RFS62]

Originally Posted by Redsland

This is why I always insist on being called by my nickname, "Squawk."

[GAC]

Reminds me of that scene in a movie (I think it was Cheech and Chong), where the parrot had a big mouth, and in the next scene you hear a shotgun blast and feathers blowing out the front window of the house!