THE richest bird in Britain has flown its coop and left behind a fortune in a businesswoman's will.

Loulou the parrot has gone missing and devastated North-East owner Diane Miller is anxious to get it back.

The 4ft macaw has been made a beneficiary in Miss Miller's £1m will, along with her other parrot, Millie.

The property tycoon, owner of Miller Properties and advertising agency AD78, in Morpeth, Northumberland, has even offered a £3,000 reward for the bird's safe return.

She said: "I was so upset and I'm still devastated about it. Loulou was just like a child to me, she was so affectionate.

"She loved cuddles and even slept in the same room as me. I got her from a local breeder and waited 12 months for her to hatch, so I really want her back."

The two parrot friends lived at the Netherton Park Creative Industries office complex near Morpeth and were popular with clients and tenants.

But their loud squawking eventually got too much to take and in March Miss Miller reluctantly decided to sell the pair to a bird-lover in Gretna Green, South-West Scotland.

The parrots remain the only beneficiaries of her will and when Miss Miller called the Gretna Green aviary to check on their progress, she discovered that Loulou had escaped.

She said: "I still feel she's alive and that I will get her back. If I'm fortunate enough to get Loulou back, I'm not letting her out of my sight ever again and she will stay with me always."