A RARE cockatoo stolen from a Malvern home could prove a danger to the thief.

The bird, worth £600, was taken from a garden on Elgar Avenue.

Jane Hale, who has owned the unnamed bird for six years, said: "He's a breeding bird and not tame in the sense of a cockatoo that is used to being handled and kept in a cage in the house.

"He's very likely to fly or jump on to the shoulders of whoever took him and start biting them. That can be very painful."

Miss Hale said the bird's breeding mate, who died just before Christmas, had been very different and could be handled.

The cockatoo was taken from his aviary inside a shed between 6pm on Sunday and 9.10am on Monday.

He is of the bare-eyed variety, so called because it has no feathers round its eyes. This is thought to be extremely rare in the UK, making him easy to identify.

"He's very, very noisy, so whoever has got him will find it difficult to keep him for long without neighbours knowing he's there," said Miss Hale.

However, although the bird makes a lot of noise, the only word he can say is "hello".

This is not the only theft of an unusual pet from Malvern in recent weeks.

Two chipmunks and a pair of Chinese painted quails were stolen from an address in Charles Way on March 25. A tortoise was taken from a garden in Russell Drive on March 28.

A police spokeman admitted the thefts were unusual but said there nothing to directly link them.

However, he appealled for people with any information to contact police on 08457 444888, or anonymously at Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.