IT IS feared that a precious parrot may have been bird-napped by thieves who ransacked a Southampton home while the owner was on holiday.

Chatty five-year-old Lucy has not been seen since burglars targeted the home of her pet loving owner Trudy Chivers

The raiders struck while 29-year-old Trudy, from Thornhill, was away on holiday in Cornwall.

Trudy's mum Sally, 58, has been looking after the bright green bird, who can say 'Where's Lucy?', 'Hello', 'All right' and other phrases.

However, when she called in last Friday to feed the parrot Mrs Chivers found the house had been burgled, the cage opened and Lucy, along with electrical items including a DVD player and PlayStation 2, gone.

"I don't know if she has been stolen, or they just opened the cage and she flew away," said Mrs Chivers, who has put up flyers and posters appealing for anyone who has seen Lucy to get in touch.

"Trudy bought her when she was a baby for £200, but I think Lucy could now be worth £300 or more.

"Trudy is due back next week but I have already told her - she was absolutely devastated. All the other things that were taken from her house can be replaced but we can't replace Lucy."

She added although Lucy's cage had not been taken, other birds owned by Trudy had been left alone.

"If they were just doing it out of spite then they would have let the other birds out," she said.

"I don't know if they took a smaller cage from Trudy's garden and stole Lucy - or if they tried to take her and she gave them a bite and escaped."

A spokesman for the RSPCA said: "If someone has stolen this parrot I would urge them to return it or take it to a safe place like a vets.

Anyone with any information should contact the burglary investigation unit at Hulse Road on 0845 045 4545. If you spot Lucy contact Mrs Chivers on 023 8047 1860 or the RSPCA on 08705 555999.