Meet the cheeky rescue parrot who demands a cuppa every day from her owner.
Jack, the African grey, loves nothing better than a steaming mug of chamomile and is at her happiest when she hears the kettle.
The brew-mad bird is so impatient whilst waiting for her daily brew, she is known to bash her beak on the kettle and mimics its boiling sound.
However, she likes to help out her owner, Lorna Webb, 29, with the process and even drops her own tea bag in the mug.
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She then dips her beak into the cup to drink it.
Lorna, of Bedford, Bedfordshire, said: “It’s rare that I can turn the kettle on for myself without having to make the parrot a cup of tea, too.”
”Jack’s favourite tea is chamomile.
”She has had other herbal teas, but I prefer the health benefits of chamomile.
“Jack has one cup of chamomile a day, but if she ‘asks’ for another one, by flying on my shoulder when I am in the kitchen, or sitting on the toaster banging things, then it’s hard to say no.
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”So sometimes she does have two.”
”I assume her previous owner must have shared their hot drinks with her because she has no issues with sticking her beak into someone’s hot drink.”
Although it is not clear how old Jack is, she came into Lorna’s parents’ care 15 years ago.
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The family initially believed Jack was a male until she laid an egg.
Lorna added: “We do not know Jack’s age and she does not have a ring on her foot.
”It is incredibly difficult to age an African grey after the first few years and so we’ll probably never know.
”Jack is a fireball.
”She’s spicy, very particular, and knows what she wants and how to get it, especially when it’s something like a cup of tea.
”She is always climbing on top of the toaster and banging her beak against stuff will get my attention.”
Despite chamomile tea having a calming effect on humans, the herbal beverage seems to have the opposite effect on Jack — who loves to parade around the house after a few sips.
Lorna said: “The tea has no calming effect on her whatsoever, instead, it gives her the fuel she needs to cause lots of trouble.
”She sneaks up on my boyfriend, Joe, and bites the back of his ankles.
”He’s 6’3″ and she has absolutely no fear when she’s approaching him to attack.
”She’s so devious, too — she can fly, but she knows it makes too much noise — so she creeps across the floor.”
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