A family are hoping to reunite a lost budgie with its owner after they found the bird in their garden.

The yellow and green budgie, whose tag shows it was born in 2015, is happily living with Pauline Vanhoutte and her family, but she is now sending out a plea to find it’s true home.

“My seven year old son spotted it in the garden and rushed in to say there is a budgie on our path,” she said.

She got a large kitchen basin to put over it and borrowed a cage from her neighbour, a budgie breeder, and the bird has lived with them since.

“I assumed the lost bird must belong to next door seeing as he breeds budgies but he can tell from its tag that it is not his.

“I’m worried somebody has lost a much loved pet, it would be lovely to reunite the budgie with them,” said Mrs Vanhoutte of Beresford Road, Ely.

A missing pet plea has gone out on Facebook and on a national pet locator website but Mrs Vanhoutte said if the bird is owned by an elderly person then they are unlikely to have seen it.

“If nobody comes forward then we will keep it as a family pet,“ she said.

The bird was found on the afternoon of Sunday March 17. If you think you know who owns the budgie call Mrs Vanhoutte on 07854-898140.