CHARLIE the parrot is a bird in paradise after getting his feathers back thanks to a loving Latchford family.

The two-year-old African grey parrot has settled right in to his new Clifton Street home with the Haybyrnes after being given to M&K Parrot Rescue because his owner could not cope.

Charlie had been brought up on a diet of chips, monkey nuts and beer and was sat in a darken corner alone with no interaction or socialisation.

Parrots have a brain equivalent to a four-year-old child which means they need lots of stimulation, lots of love and care.

The stress of his situation caused Charlie to pull out his feathers and when he was rescued he was mostly bald.

Alison, his new owner, said: “It was heartbreaking when he arrived. He looked like a piece of meat you would see on the shelves of a supermarket because he was that bald.

“He was really nervous when we first got him and the rescue team said don’t expect much from him for the first few weeks.

“The next day he came out of his cage and went straight on to my hand. Moe, from the parrot rescue, said she had never known a bird to settle that quickly.”

Thanks to the love and care of Alison, aged 40, after six weeks his plumage is starting to come back.

And his cheeky character is on show for all to see.

“He makes me laugh every day, he’s so funny,” added Alison.

“He eats my wallpaper, he’ll bite the cats’ tails if they get too close and he’s started talking.”

And thanks to a special diet, including bottled water and plenty of fruit, his taste in healthy foods is helping him on the road to recovery.

Alison said: “He loves red grapes and he will throw green grapes back when I try to feed him them.

“He loves toast too at breakfast with me. It’s a bonding thing to eat with him, he hangs off his perch and he has a piece of toast.”

To find out more about the work M&K Parrot Rescue do to help parrots across the north, visit mkparrotrescue.co.uk.