Runaway parrot spends 3 days on roof, curses at firefighter trying to rescue it, flies off

Joel Shannon | USA TODAY

London firefighters were met with foul language when they attempted to rescue a parrot from a roof on Monday.

Jessie, a macaw parrot, had escaped her home and spent three days on a neighbor's roof, according to a release from the London Fire Brigade. Animal welfare workers and Jessie's owner had attempted unsuccessfully to lure the bird down . They had reason to believe Jessie was injured, so they called firefighters for help, the release says.

Jessie's owner told firefighters to say "I love you," because it would help them bond with the bird, according to a London Fire Brigade tweet.

A firefighter climbed to the roof, looked Jessie in the eye and told the bird "I love you," as documented in a photo of the incident.

Jessie replied "I love you," but then began swearing, the Fire Brigade says.

Firefighters were amused and tried to speak to Jessie in Turkish and Greek, languages the bird is familiar with.

It soon became clear that Jessie was not injured. She flew to another rooftop and then another tree, the Fire Brigade says.

On Monday afternoon, Jessie returned home on her own. Jessie's owner sent the Fire Brigade a video of the bird saying "thank you" after significant prompting.