104°F
weather icon Clear

Toucan that escaped aviary in May captured in Southern California

YORBA LINDA, Calif. — A toucan that became a local sensation while living wild much of the year in Southern California has finally been captured.

The brightly colored female bird named Fern was spotted Tuesday in the rafters of a Yorba Linda auto repair shop.

A service adviser made calls to animal experts including Omar’s Exotic Birds, which dispatched an employee who captured Fern.

The bird escaped in May from an aviary in Courtney Chapman’s Fullerton home after Fern and a male toucan were delivered by a breeder.

Chapman tells The Orange County Register she had been told the chances of getting the toucan back were slim to none.

Shortly after the escape, Chapman joined a private social network app for neighbors and soon photos of Fern spottings around town were being posted.


 

MOST READ
Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Fed leaves interest rates unchanged even as Trump demands cuts

The Federal Reserve left its key short-term interest rate unchanged for the fifth time this year, brushing off repeated calls from President Donald Trump for a cut.

Worst tsunami risk passes for Hawaii, US after 8.8 Russia quake

The dire warnings following the massive quake off Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula evoked memories of catastrophic damage caused by tsunamis over the last quarter-century.

MORE STORIES