A budgie that was once lost has now found himself with a long list of possible owners.
On Monday, Avian Welfare Canada said between 12 and 15 people have already come forward claiming to have lost the budgie.
The little bird, now named MacGyvor, was first spotted by a woman in the Southland Park area in November.
She contacted Avian Welfare Canada at the time to come up with a plan to help. The organization set up a trap, until the budgie suddenly stopped visiting the home.
Shortly after, another family living in the same area called Avian Welfare Canada with a similar story.
Another trap was set up and after weeks of trying to catch the bird, MacGyvor was finally captured on New Year’s Day.
Melanie Shura, Avian Welfare Canada president, said the bird must have been living in the wild for close to 11 weeks.
Shura is now taking care of the budgie and monitoring his health.
In his time away, MacGyvor has become chattier; Shura said he even “speaks sparrow” after living with a group of them.
Now that the budgie is back, many people have come forward claiming to be MacGyvor's owner.
“I have had six people contact me and I had a phone call from the humane society and from other agencies as well that have handfuls of people who claim this is their budgie,” Shura told CTV News Wednesday.
“This is going to be the challenge…to try and figure out who his original owner was,” said Shura, adding another hurdle is finding the right environment for MacGyvor, who has changed since his time in the wild.
People who think MacGyvor was once theirs is encouraged to email Avian Welfare Canada with photos at info@avianwelfare.ca.
The Winnipeg Humane Society said last year it received four reports of missing birds that were all reunited with their owners.
