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Summary A 55-year-old domestic parrot has died after squawking his last word: Cheerio.
The African Grey parrot Tarbu, believed to be one of the worlds oldest domestic parrots, uttered his final farewell to Nina Morgan, 89, as she made her way to bed.He was so weak the next morning that he couldnt manage his usual greeting of Hello, my darling and dropped dead from his perch.Mrs Morgan believes his longevity was down to a life of being spoilt - from munching his favourite Kit Kats to watching Emmerdale and Coronation Street every night.He lived an eventful life having been rescued from an animal trader in Tanzania in 1957 and was once taken into police custody after going missing.The parrot was known for being vocal and would shout Cheerio, bye, see you soon to Mrs Morgan every time she left the house.He squawked woof, woof at dogs, as well as calling miaow, miaow at cats that passed his window.Tarbu even alerted partially-deaf Mrs Morgan to the doorbell by shouting cooeee and her name Nina, as she could not hear it ring.Widow Mrs Morgan, who lives alone, said she was very upset by the death of her pet, who had been her companion for 55 years.She said: He was a very intelligent bird and very clever. We never taught him to talk, he picked everything up.Tarbu was taken from his nest as a chick by an African trader in Da es Salam in Tanganyika, now Tanzania.Mrs Morgan, a former flight engineer, was living in the country with her husband Peter, who was a pilot for the countrys president Julius Nyerere.The couple bought Tarbu for their son Christopher, then aged eight, in 1955.Mrs Morgan added: He was a very young chick, he had not yet fully feathered. He adored my son and would shout Christopher at him.Christopher died in a car crash in the 1970s and Mr and Mrs Morgan returned to England with Tarbu in 1985.Tarbu became Mrs Morgans sole companion when her husband, a former RAF pilot, died of emphysema.Mrs Morgan buried Tarbu in her garden, underneath an RAF flag, after his death three weeks ago.
