A potty-mouthed parrot flipped firefighters the bird as they tried to rescue it after it got stuck on a roof for three days.

The macaw parrot - affectionately known as Jessie - escaped her home in north London and spent three days on a neighbour's roof.

Her owner and the RSPCA were unable to lure the animal down, so firefighters were called to Cuckoo Hall Lane in Edmonton.

"Jessie had been on the same roof for three days and there were concerns that she may be injured which is why she hadn't come down," said watch manager Chris Swallow.

"Our crew manager was the willing volunteer who went up the ladder to try and bring Jessie down. We were told that to bond with the parrot, you have to tell her 'I love you', which is exactly what the crew manager did.


"While Jessie responded 'I love you' back, we then discovered that she had a bit of a foul mouth and kept swearing, much to our amusement."

Jessie is reported to have told the firefighters to "f*** off" before flying off to another rooftop.

Parrot owner: To bond with her say 'I love you'

Firefighter: 'I love you'

Jessie the Parrot: 'I love you'

Jessie then turned the air blue & flipped the firefighter the bird. Read the story of the potty-mouthed parrot in Cuckoo Hall Lane https://t.co/Th2nlVkOJ8 © @PaulWood1961 pic.twitter.com/XKd4BFJq4h — London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) August 13, 2018

Mr Swallow said the parrot also spoke Turkish and Greek - so they tried telling her to "come" in both languages before she flew off.

"Thankfully it soon became apparent that Jessie was fine and uninjured as she flew off to another roof and then to a tree," he said.

Jessie was later reunited with her owner.

Mr Swallow said: "As with this incident, the RSPCA should be contacted in the first instance and we would always urge people to do the same if they see an animal stuck or in distress.

"If the RSPCA require our assistance, they will call us and we are happy to assist with our specialist equipment."