Lost Cockatiel Flies 3 Miles to Her Favorite Ice Cream Shop

When an 8-month-old cockatiel named Sunny went missing from her Hampden, Maine home, her owners Kay Cote and Sarah Pinette feared the worst. Their pet had just learned to fly days earlier and something had startled her into flight during her usual outdoor time with the family's chickens.

Four days passed with no sign of Sunny. Cote and Pinette reported her missing to Hampden Public Safety and searched the neighborhood, hoping she'd stayed close to home.

But Sunny had flown three miles away to Fielder's Choice, an ice cream shop and mini golf course in Bangor. The catch? It was her favorite place.

On June 14, staff at the mini golf window got an unusual visitor. Two customers approached holding what appeared to be a pet bird. Manager Callie Tennett came over to investigate and found the calm cockatiel waiting patiently.

Bangor police arrived and Sunny climbed easily into an officer's hand. A quick photo and search of local missing pet reports connected the dots back to the Hampden family.

When the police car pulled into their driveway, Cote's heart sank at first. "We heard people come up to our driveway and our dogs started barking and we're like, 'oh no, what is that?' and it turned out to be Bangor PD," she said.

But the officers had the best possible news. They'd found Sunny safe and sound.

Sunny's Take

Pet birds often return to familiar places within a few miles after flying away, something Cote and Pinette learned during their search. Sunny proved the theory right by finding her way to the exact spot her family regularly visited with her.

For Tennett and her team, watching the reunion made their day. "When the owners came back and said you guys found our bird, we were looking for our bird for days, I was just so happy," she said.

After four days of searching and worrying, Sunny was home safe because she remembered where happiness felt like.