A RINGWOOD family have been left distraught after their beloved pet parrot Cooper went missing.

Cooper, who is a pineapple conure parrot, went missing earlier this month after his owners accidentally left the front door open and he flew away.

Now owner Charlotte Roberts is asking for the public's help to track him down and bring him home.

Cooper was an eight birthday present for Charlotte's eldest daughter Caitlin, who has been left heartbroken by the loss of her beloved pet.

"It's just so awful," said Charlotte, 42, who also has a younger daughter with husband Chris.

"Caitlin, who is now nine, really loves parrots and after our dog died she asked us over and over again if we could get her one as a pet.

"We looked into it and discovered that conure parrots make great pets so me and her dad decided to get her one for her birthday.

"She was so delighted at the time and absolutely loves having Cooper to take care of.

"But now all we have is an empty cage and she is just distraught."

Cooper disappeared around 7pm on Friday, April 8 when he flew out of the Roberts' front door after Chris left it open while cleaning out his cage.

It has now been almost three weeks since he went missing and despite Charlotte getting a great response from people after sharing Cooper's picture on Facebook he still hasn't been found.

Charlotte and Chris have already contacted Liberty's Owl Raptor and Reptile Centre in Ringwood but Cooper has not shown up there either.

"We are just hoping that is someone spots him they will get in touch so we can bring him home," added Charlotte.

Cooper is a small-sized, bright green parrot with a long red tail and a ring around his foot.

Conure parrots are domesticated birds that may live for 20 to 30 years.

They live on fruit, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.

Conures are often called the clowns of the parrot world due to their constant attention seeking behaviour including hanging upside-down and swaying back and forth or dancing.

They can range in price between £100 and £300.