CHATTERBOX parrot George is today set to learn a whole new vocabulary – because he has moved in with another exotic bird.But George, who can swear with the best of them, will need to show his sensitive side as his new companion has recently been bereaved and he will need to keep a lid on some of his language.

CHATTERBOX parrot George is today set to learn a whole new vocabulary – because he has moved in with another exotic bird.

But George, who can swear with the best of them, will need to show his sensitive side as his new companion has recently been bereaved and he will need to keep a lid on some of his language.

Felixstowe couple Alan Spurr and Sandy Scotchmer have sold George – featured in the Evening Star last week – to a woman in Ipswich because they are heading off to a new life in Spain.

"She is a lovely lady and was thrilled to have George," said Mr Spurr, of Walton High Street, Felixstowe.

"She had two African greys but recently lost one and the parrot that was left has been pining.

"So the situation is ideal and will give the other bird some company and they can chat together, and I think the new owner will spend a lot of time chatting to them, too, so George should learn some new words."

After George's swearing antics were highlighted in the Star, the couple received 30 phone calls from would-be buyers. He sold for £500.

"It is a shame that we cannot take him to Spain because he would have loved it there, but it is a nightmare trying to get the permission," said Mr Spurr.

"He was one of the last African grey parrots bred abroad and imported 16 years ago and so there is no paperwork, no pet passport for him or anything."

George learned his swear word – we couldn't possibly print the word in a family newspaper – from Ms Scotchmer and it was reinforced by regulars in a pub they ran where he used to sit in his cage in the bar.

His vocabulary is large and his repertoire includes hello, goodnight, Al, hello darling, bye bye, wolf whistles, and is able to mimic people's voices accurately as well as the sounds other birds make.

The couple, who used to run Dooley, Falcon and Feathers pubs in Felixstowe, want a place in the sun and are moving to southern Spain, travelling around for six months and then looking for a place to settle.

Factfile:

n African greys are renowned for being able to talk – some have been found with vocabularies of up to 1,000 words.

n In the 16th century, King Henry VIII kept an African grey as a pet at Hampton Court.

n Parrots in captivity can live between 40 and 100 years depending on the species.

n There are 358 species of parrot, which include cockatoos, lovebirds, lorikeets and budgerigars.

n They are distributed through the tropical and subtropical regions of both hemispheres, but the largest number of species occur in Australia and the Amazon.

n They tend to live in large flocks and feed on seeds, fruits, nuts, nectar and fungi.

Source: the internet