A BOY of five used his vocal talents to locate his missing pet parrot in trees at the bottom of his garden.

Shane Stubbings, five, was devastated when Jabba, an African grey parrot, flew away from the family home in Sedgefield, on Wednesday.

Shane had taken Jabba outside on a lead when it slipped from his hand and the parrot made his bid for freedom. Villagers joined the Stubbings family in searching for the fugitive bird.

Jabba turned up the next day after Shane started screeching like a parrot to try to locate him.

The youngster was surprised when he heard his calls being echoed, and the family discovered Jabba in a tree, 300 yards from their home. The family had been riding around Sedgefield on bikes and carrying binoculars to try to find the parrot.

Shane's mother, Janet Stubbings, said: "We are so pleased to have him back. I want to thank all the villagers who helped to look for him. Jabba in now back in his cage in the house."