A toucan that became a local social media sensation while living wild much of the year in Southern California has finally been captured.
The brightly colored female bird named Fern was spotted Tuesday in the rafters of a Yorba Linda auto repair shop. A service adviser made calls to animal experts including Omar's Exotic Birds, which dispatched an employee who captured Fern.
"You could tell it was a happy bird," service rep Janine Guy told the Orange County Register.
Employees lured Fern down from the rafters with apple slices, the Register reported.
The bird, who did not have a tracking microchip, escaped in May from an aviary in Courtney Chapman's Fullerton home after Fern and a male toucan were delivered by a breeder.
Chapman told the Register she had been told the chances of getting the toucan back were slim to none. Shortly after the escape, Chapman joined the Nextdoor social network app, designed to connect neighbors, and soon photos of Fern spottings around town were being posted.
The bird's bright colors made Fern hard to miss. Allison Howell recalled a close encounter of the bird kind earlier this month.
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"She was quite striking," Howell told the Register. "I'm not particularly an animal person, but it was definitely a sight to see."
Chapman also launched a Facebook page devoted to the wayward bird.
