Steve the featherless parrot gets his colour back

A parrot that has lost almost all his feathers and is unable to fly is on the road to recovery in an animal sanctuary.

Steve - as he has been named by carers at Hopefield Animal Sanctuary in Brentwood, Essex - joined the shelter last week and is finally starting to get some of his colour back.

Staff say they do not know whether his mysterious condition has been caused by him pulling out his own feathers through boredom - or if his illness is contagious.

General manager Lianne Angliss told the BBC: "With rescue animals we never get to see the full picture but we are still looking into all the options."

She said Steve has been placed in quarantine in her office at the sanctuary, where staff have built him a gym and provided plenty of toys to keep him occupied.

Staff said they were optimistic for a complete recovery as Steve's feathers were already starting to regrow.

Angliss said Steve was "a cheeky and chatty bird" who appeared to be thriving while being around people.

"Although his previous vet gave him a clean bill of health, we're continuing to monitor him closely to understand what may have caused his feather loss and to ensure he receives the very best care during his rehabilitation," the sanctuary said.

"Once he's strong enough and able to fly again, our aim is for him to join some of the other rescued birds in one of our aviaries."

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