A FRIENDLY Australian parrot, like one that appears regularly on TV show Neighbours, is baffling residents after it turned up in a churchyard.

When Jennifer Pakiam said "Hello", the parrot replied instantly with the same word after she saw it outside St Romald's Church, in Romaldkirk, near Barnard Castle, County Durham.

She and her daughters, Bryony and Fiona, now call it Charlie and look after it at their home in the village, but despite making inquiries in the area for four weeks, they do not know who owns it or how it got there.

All they know from checking the Internet is that Charlie is a galah, a native of Western Australia, and is like one they have seen on Neighbours.

Mrs Pakiam said: "He is a real charmer. He has obviously been well-loved and handled a lot. Every time the phone rings, he shouts hello.

"Everyone around here is baffled about how such a fine bird can turn up without anyone reporting him missing. If the owner does not turn up, we will just have to keep him."

Charlie enjoys apples, bananas, grapes, cooked vegetables and millet.

Mrs Pakiam said: "We have discovered that this type can live to the age of 20 in the wild, but can reach the age of 80 in captivity, so we may have him for a very long time."