Have you seen these parrots? London Zoo launches urgent appeal for missing endangered macaws

London Zoo has launched an urgent appeal to find two of its endangered parrots, after they escaped earlier this week.

Blue-throated macaws Lily and Margot have been missing since Monday 21 October, when they took off during their routine free-flying time around the north London zoo.

Keepers say the birds, which are between two and three feet tall, should be “easy to spot” thanks to their striking blue and yellow plumage.

A spokesperson from ZSL said they need more eyes on the ground to help in the search for missing birds.

They said: “Our bird expert team are working diligently to find them at the moment. Our bird team have been combing the local areas and coordinating with local NW1 neighbours and community groups and Westmisnter City Council to alert them“We’re looking for local Londoners to help us with sightings of the two macaws.“Lily and Margot are likely to stay together and also remain high up in trees. That’s where they rest and are most comfortable, but they will come down to ground to forage for food which is probably where people are going to spot them.”

Members of the public are being warned not to approach or feed the birds if they see them.

Instead, people should send a photo and location to birds@zsl.org or call 0344 225 1826.

Lily and Margot were born at London Zoo in 2022 and complete its family of four blue-throated macaws, along with their parents Popeye and Olly.

According to National Geographic, blue-throated macaws were thought to be extinct for years until a wild population of the species was discovered in South America in 1992.

Today, the bird is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

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