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There's a parrot in Northern California with an unusual talent at mimicry, even for his kind. He can bark like a dog, meow like a cat, whir like a drill and swoosh like a waterfall.

And then there's the curse word. Supposed curse word, at least.

Jessica Baca, who lives next door in the town of Tracy, has accused the bird, named Rula, of saying "prostitute" in Spanish, NBC affiliate KCRA reported. Her grandkids repeat it, she says. She tells them, "Don't say that word!"

Rula's owner, Rita Canisales, says Baca isn't hearing correctly. Rula is actually saying his own name, which sounds similar to the offending word, she says.

Besides, Canisales says, she's never taught the bird Spanish.

For the record, the local animal control officer, who's received several complaints about Rula's loquaciousness, says he's never heard the bird curse.

A parrot named Rula is at the heart of a dispute in Tracy, Calif., where a resident claims her neighbor’s bird frequently squawks the Spanish word for prostitute. KCRA

— Jon Schuppe