Visitors to Farmyard Funworld at the Lincolnsfield Centre in Bushey will no longer see the impressive green and yellow plumage of Amazon Green parrot Oscar, after he was spectacularly birdnapped.

According to centre owner Francis McLennen, Oscar, a visitor favourite because of his extensive vocabulary, had been sitting in his cage when he was taken on Friday last week..

Mr McLennen, 64, said: "My son Andrew called me to say Oscar had been stolen by two men.

"They came into the centre and were seen looking at our birds Oscar, Rocky and Crystal.

"At one point, our centre receptionist went over to the men to tell them to stop opening the cages.

"Next thing my son knew, one of the men opened Oscar’s cage and stuffed him in his jacket. They then ran off."

Mr McLennen said what followed next was a desperate attempt by his son and duty manager Kevin Tyler to recover Oscar, as they chased after the two thieves.

Mr Tyler, 33, said: "They ran off through to Siskin Close and jumped into a waiting car. After that we lost them.

“We just can’t believe it. Oscar has been with us since 2008. We have cared, looked after and nurtured him. How someone can just walk in and take him like that - it’s left us stumped.

"How someone can mistreat Oscar by stuffing him in their jacket, it doesn’t bear thinking about.

"Oscar’s beak is strong enough to break fingers, so here’s hoping he’s caused whoever took him a bit of damage.

“We have always had the cages unlocked, so that the visitors and birds can interact, so that the birds don’t feel restricted, but now we’re going to improve our security, we’re going to have to look at locking the cages. It’s going to be a real shame not just for visitors, but for the birds as well."

Mr McLennen and Mr Tyler agreed they believe Oscar could have been stolen to be sold on. For his breed, they estimate he is worth about £1,000, but because of his extensive vocabulary, his value could be even higher.

Mr McLennan said: "We just want Oscar returned. We have regulars, particularly children, who visit the centre specifically to see Oscar and they are going to be disappointed.

"If he becomes distressed, he will rip his feathers out. If he is too traumatised by what has happened, he could die from the stress.

"We’re asking people to keep their eyes and ears open for Oscar. He’s a distinctive colour, his squawk is loud and he is very chatty. We are offering a reward for any information that leads to Oscar's return.

"It’s been a terrible week for us - we lost 14 chickens from a fox attack and now someone has taken our prized parrot."

Police are currently investigating the incident.

The first suspect, who took the parrot, is described as a white man aged in his 30s, approximately 5ft 10/11 inches tall.

He had a fairly thick moustache and beard, which was trimmed and well kept.

He was wearing a full black matte ‘Adidas’ tracksuit - the top was hooded with a white logo on the chest.

The trousers were black, without any stripes, but with the sports logo on them near the pocket.

The second man is described as white, about 20-years- old, and thought to be 5ft 10/11inches tall.

He had a light amount of stubble on his face and was wearing a white shirt, black tracksuit jacket and black trousers.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on the non-emergency number 101, quoting crime reference number J1/12/1528.