{"id":36570,"date":"2023-04-04T17:32:29","date_gmt":"2023-04-04T22:32:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/pet-birds\/?p=36570"},"modified":"2025-07-21T23:40:53","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T04:40:53","slug":"a-billy-joel-song-helps-bring-lost-cockatiel-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/pet-birds\/a-billy-joel-song-helps-bring-lost-cockatiel-home\/","title":{"rendered":"A Billy Joel Song Helps Bring Lost Cockatiel Home"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"cockatiel
Cockatiels are great fliers, even with a recent wing-feather trim. A sudden fright, gust of wind, or just being in the wrong place, wrong time \u2014like out of the cage when the front door is opened or a window is left ajar \u2014 can instantly turn a normal day into a frantic one as you search for your lost bird in the great outdoors. Photo by bluepaints\/Pixabay<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The birds that live within our homes have unique perspectives on the sphere of life that they are engaged in. It\u2019s almost always a given that our birds have a love of music, often displaying preferences with style by rapt attention and \u201cgettin\u2019 down with it\u201d to the various kinds of music that they\u2019re exposed to. But when the music they love is a factor in retrieving a lost bird, it only stands to reason that music could be used as a tool to recover wayward birds who make their way outside when a door is open for a second too long. That\u2019s the case for Joel, a pet cockatiel who lives in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, as he took an open door for an invitation to roam.<\/p>\n

Joel was adopted by his owner 18 months ago from a rescue adoption facility. In the 18 months that Joel lived with his owner, he learned some of the hits from the catalog of the music of Billy Joel. Obviously, his infatuation with Billy Joel\u2019s music contributed to the naming process. As songs go, it\u2019s \u201cUptown Girl\u201d that has captured the fancy of the cockatiel becoming its favorite song. With Joel\u2019s escape through an open door, the owner quickly moved to the standard method of discovery by posting “Lost Bird \u2013 Reward” flyers. They were posted with the essential help of an international service known as ParrotAlert.com, which uses mapping technologies to help narrow the route to help locate a lost bird.<\/p>\n

Nine Days Gone<\/h3>\n

After nine days with no notices, hope began to wane until a text alerted the owner to the possibility that Joel had been located. An agile worker at the SkyWheel ride (a 200-foot-tall ferris wheel at the beach) heard chirping while 100 feet up on a ladder. It\u2019s there that the worker saw Joel standing on a gondola bar. Being people-aware and trusting, the bird made his way to the worker and perched on his shoulder. Joel was then wrapped in the worker\u2019s hoodie for the descent.\u00a0 Soon, one event led to another, and the flyer eventually sparked a memory that led to the eventual reconnection.<\/p>\n

After the connection, the staff played \u201cPiano Man\u201d for the bird, and Joel immediately began grooving to the tune. When that behavior was recognized, they were assured that the lost cockatiel mentioned in the flyer had indeed been found. Pictures of Joel sitting on the shoulder of the office staff were sent, and the recovery was soon completed.<\/p>\n

Once the owner and Joel were reunited, a quick visit to the vet was necessary to check him out.\u00a0 After all was deemed well, Joel and his owner were happy to be back with each other once again. Joel had been on an adventure. And it was music that helped to reunite Joel with \u201cMom.\u201d One of the takeaways from this is that specific familiarity played an important part in identifying who Joel was. The flyers were essential in spreading that information to a wider audience. We\u2019re quite pleased that Joel found his home again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One lucky cockatiel\u2019s love for a Billy Joel song helped reunite him with his owner. See the unusual spot where this cockatiel, aptly named Joel, landed and how he made his way back home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8046,"featured_media":43615,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[171],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-everyday"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA Billy Joel Song Helps Bring Lost Cockatiel Home – Pet Birds by Lafeber Co.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A lost cockatiel\u2019s love for a Billy Joel song helped reunite him with his owner. 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