Man confounded by theft of giant plywood parrot

Jim Schloegel of Lewiston, Minnesota stood under the shade of a giant bird cage and raised both arms in confusion. Three plywood parrots hung above him, waving slightly against their tethers. Schloegel, 48, grabbed a section of chain where a fourth should have been. Last week, someone purloined one of his brightly painted works of art. “I’m more puzzled as to why you would take it,” Schloegel said. “Why?”

Schloegel woke on Saturday and noticed the bird missing. When he went to check the cage, he found its chains had been severed with a bolt cutter. Schloegel’s handcrafted bird cage and the parrots were borne about six years ago from a creative effort to recycle old farm equipment and related gear that he couldn’t toss out or sell. He and his brother, who together built and painted the birds, don’t remember why they chose parrots.



“We just said we got to do something unique,” he said. “And we went with it.” They spent six months on the project, assembling a bird cage out of a corn crib and painting plywood cutouts shaped like parrots. Eventually, the exotic birds took on a life of their own, becoming more than just a pet project. Neighbours used the display as a landmark for directions. Passing gawkers stopped to snap a photo.

Schloegel started with two parrots, and eventually added two more. As the older ones weathered, he replaced them with freshly painted birds. Schloegel valued the bird at $200 — for time and effort, he said. He doesn’t expect the parrot to be returned. “It’s kind of like winning the lottery,” he said. “Your chances are pretty thin.”