Former Iowa couple discovers community in new city after they lose — then find — their beloved parrot

Virginia Barreda, Des Moines Register
·2 min read
Sun Conure parrot siblings Liz, Joy, Petey and Alex recently moved from Newton, Iowa to Portland, Ore with their human parents, Alsi and Ozguar Yilmaz. When Joy flew away from the couple's 23-story high rise, they thought she was a goner, until the community pitched in to help reunite the little bird with his family, as first reported by The Oregonian.

A Newton couple that recently moved to downtown Portland, Oregon, lost — and then found — their beloved pet parrot.

In Asli and Ozguar Yilmaz's journey to find Joy, their Sun Conure covered in vivid orange, red and green, they found community in their new Pacific Northwest home.

The story was first shared by The Oregonian/Oregon Live.

After spending six years in the familiarity of Newton, Asli Yilmaz was uncertain about her move to a new city with no connections. And it was less than a month into their move when the Yilmazs' feathery family member flew away from their balcony on their 23rd-floor highrise after being scared by a crow.

The couple thought he was a goner.

"It was so scary," Yilmaz told the Register, recalling her little bird flying away in terror from their building. "I couldn't do anything. How could I save him? He was so little. I wish I had my own wings."

Sun Conure parrot siblings Liz and Joy recently moved from Newton, Iowa to Portland, Ore with their human parents, Alsi and Ozguar Yilmaz. When Joy flew away from the couple's 23-story high rise, they thought she was a goner, until the community pitched in to help reunite the little bird with his family, as first reported by The Oregonian.
Sun Conure parrot siblings Liz and Joy recently moved from Newton, Iowa to Portland, Ore with their human parents, Alsi and Ozguar Yilmaz. When Joy flew away from the couple's 23-story high rise, they thought she was a goner, until the community pitched in to help reunite the little bird with his family, as first reported by The Oregonian.

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But Joy's homeward-bound adventure includes a run-in with Pogo the cat in a condominium about a mile away; the owner of the condo; a family with a bird affinity; and a couple with a dog.

In an unexpected twist, the team worked together to reunite Joy with his family and three parrot siblings.

Yilmaz says their little parrot's recovery means more than she could ever imagine — Joy is not the only one who found home. She has, too.

When Joy flew away from the Asli and Ozguar Yilmaz's 23-story high rise in Portland, Ore., they thought she was a goner, until the community pitched in to help reunite the little bird with his family, as first reported by The Oregonian.
When Joy flew away from the Asli and Ozguar Yilmaz's 23-story high rise in Portland, Ore., they thought she was a goner, until the community pitched in to help reunite the little bird with his family, as first reported by The Oregonian.

"Joy brought us all together," she said of her newfound community. "I’m so grateful. (When) we moved to Portland, we didn’t know anyone, but now we know the whole building. We have a circle now."

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Read about Joy's tale in The Oregonian.

Virginia Barreda is a trending and general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @vbarreda2. 

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: The lost-and-found story of former Iowa family's pet parrot