A small cockatiel named Olivia has mustered an unexpected and heartfelt search effort in Teton County after slipping out of her home and flying away during a brief moment of chaos over the weekend.
The bird’s owner, Amanda White, said the escape happened about 1:30 p.m. Sunday near the North Cache area by the Dairy Queen in Jackson.
White said Olivia escaped during what she described as a sudden and unusual accident inside their home.
“We live in a trailer, and we have a screen door, one that rolls out,” she said. “We haven’t clipped her wings — which now I’m regretting. She likes to do laps in the living room.”
She said the bird slipped out in a rare moment when the door was open.
“She did this super random (run for the) door and flew outside,” White said. “I was on the phone, so I ran out behind where we live, and she doesn’t fly very far — she’ll do a couple laps and then she’s tired.
“So, we thought for sure we’d run up there, and she’d be sitting on the ground. And we couldn’t find her. The front door was open, but it was really one of those freak moments where she flew. She usually has no interest in the door.”
Despite searching, Olivia has not been seen since.
“We haven’t had anyone report sightings,” White said. “We have a friend looking with binoculars.”
That’s even with an alert put out by the Teton County Sheriff’s Office asking people to keep their eyes peeled for Olivia. “Have you seen this bird?” the notice says.
A Beloved Pet
Olivia is a cockatiel with a grey body and orange cheeks. White said she was adopted about six years ago from a local shelter in what was the organization’s first bird adoption.
Olivia was a fun addition to their family, she said, adding that her husband has children, but they are all adults who no longer live at home.
"It’s pretty hard,” White said. “She’s our baby.”
White said Olivia responds to her name and is familiar with her family’s voices.
“She does respond to her name,” she said. “Usually, when we call her she is responsive, which I’ve been doing outside.”
However, she said Olivia is not highly social with strangers.
“She’s a little skittish,” White said. “She won’t sit on your hand. If a random person went up to her, she wouldn’t go to them, but my husband and I could probably lure her into her cage.”
As a species native to Australia, White said she is unsure how long Olivia could survive outdoors in Wyoming conditions.
“I don’t even know if she survived the night,” she said, adding that her diet is simple.
“She loves millet, most cockatiels do,” White said. “That’s a good treat for her.”
Community Support, Emotional Stakes
White said she has been touched by the community response so far to her missing cockatiel
“It is really sweet that people care about it,” she said.
She works in victims services with the Teton County Sheriff's Office and the Jackson Police Department, helping victims of financial crimes and domestic violence cases.
She said caring for animals like Olivia has always been an important emotional outlet.
“It’s a tough job and we try to help people as much as we can,” she said. “We all have the things that help us outside of our work and the things that help us in our tough places."
She added that animals play an important role in emotional healing for many people.
“Animals do help us in hard times with the things that we can’t understand,” she said.
White also praised Deputy Tia Stanton, who helped amplify awareness of Olivia’s disappearance after seeing the social media post.
“Stanton is amazing,” she said. “I don’t work with her a ton, but when I do, she’s just a big light, a wonderful person. She really cares about her job and what she does. The community is lucky to have her in it.”
Stanton said a search for a missing bird is rare and relies heavily on public awareness due to the bird’s small size and the vast terrain.
Stanton said the effort now relies heavily on public awareness in overcoming the challenges of finding such a small animal in Wyoming.
“It’s one of the hardest animals to find again because of how vast Wyoming is, even just Teton County, and how small the bird is,” she said. “Unfortunately, that’s our best bet is to put out the notice to the community and hopefully others keep their eyes peeled.”
It Gets Cold At Night
She said the goal of the post was to cast a wide net.
“I think that was the intention, to have as many people as possible knowing it was on the loose and it belonged to someone,” she said.
Weather is also a concern.
While daytime temperatures in Teton County have recently climbed near 70 degrees, nights are still cold, raising worries for an indoor tropical bird not accustomed to outdoor conditions.
“It is still getting pretty chilly at night,” Stanton said. “This is an indoor bird, so I don’t know how well it does with the cold.”
She added that Olivia has been cared for by White for her whole life and is not accustomed to surviving outdoors or foraging food.
Finding Olivia Would Mean A Lot
For White, the hope of finding Olivia remains deeply personal.
“It’s not like a dog or a cat where you can wrap your arms around them and hug them,” she said. “It’s a bird — she’s flighty. But it would be very special.”
She said Olivia has specific ways she shows affection.
“She loves head scratches and sitting on my husband’s shoulder,” White said. “That’s her happy place, just being comfortable and being safe. And having that moment back would be very special.
“If she doesn’t come home, I believe in the Lord and that he takes care of his animals."
Even if Olivia is not found, White said her outlook is rooted in faith.
Stanton, who has worked with the sheriff’s office for more than seven years, said she has never seen a case quite like this.
“Pretty uncommon. This is a first for me,” she said about searching for a missing bird.
Beyond the search, Stanton said the situation has underscored the close-knit nature of the community and the emotional bond people have with their pets.
“Amanda and I definitely connect on pets,” she said. “I have a dog that’s the light of my life, and it’s nice to have someone understand how much it means.
“I would hope someone would do the same thing for me if it was my pet."
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
