It was a contorted plan on a Shakespearean scale.
A pet cockatiel named Romeo flew out of the queen’s cage to search for Juliet, while his abandoned partner lay distraught and silent in the queen’s cage, refusing to be preened or played with.
Romeo’s owners are also heartbroken and have been desperately searching for the medium-sized parrot in the Kew Gardens Hills area, using auditory clues to find him and putting up “missing” signs.
His owner, Lia Normatova, said Romeo, a five-month-old white bird with orange cheek spots and a yellow crest, flew out an open door on July 25 and then disappeared.
One-year-old Sunshine became depressed when she noticed that her friends were not nearby.
“My daughter apparently started screaming several times to know if he was nearby, but there was no response,” said Normatova, a mother of three.
Then Sunshine’s personality changed.
“She was sitting there, sulking, not playing with her toys, as if she was sick,” Normatova said. “Her eyes were sad and lonely. She didn’t know what had happened to Romeo and she wanted to be with me.”
Normally Sunshine can be found sitting on the liquor cabinet, chewing on flowers, and bathing in the indoor fountain.
Since Normatova got another male cockatiel on Tuesday, Sunshine has started to perk up, but she’s still not back to her former energy level.
The youngest member of the family, 7-year-old Leola, is also still not recovered.
“She’s still crying to this day,” Normatova said. “She says, ‘I wish Sunshine had flown away, not Romeo.'”
The situation isn’t much better for her other children, Talia, 10, and Israel, 9. Normatova said Talia feels “guilt” because she was the one who left the front door open when Romeo ran away.
Normatova said Israel “is trying to keep his feelings to himself, but I know deep down he is hurt by this situation.”
Normatova remains hopeful that Romeo may return home and continues to search for him by posting messages in Facebook groups.
Her husband, Ariel, believes the bird is dead.
“It’s heartbreaking,” said Normatova, a bird lover since childhood, “and I feel a bit guilty that this is what happens to animals because I love them.”
