Police in southwestern England were able to track down a bird thief (apparently at the top of their to-do list these days) after the parrot he stole managed to leave them a vital clue.

Tristand Maidment stole Mickey the Macaw from a pet shop in Frome, England, last month, after a lengthy search to find a pet with a name dumber than his own. The bird apparently put up a fight, and although Maidment said he did not remember it (he was not sober), Mickey bit him during the struggle, or fracas, or foofaraw, or whatever you call a fight with a parrot, and the bite was serious enough to leave a trail of blood that police were able to use to obtain a DNA match.

Mickey’s owner was not surprised by the heroism/irritability of his parrot, who he described as “notoriously bad-tempered.”

The parrot-stealer was later given a six-month suspended sentence. Mickey, however, remained missing, apparently having been sold by Maidment. A police spokesman urged anyone who had seen or bought the bird to come forward so Mickey could be reunited with his owner as quickly as possible.

“He is 50 years of age,” the spokesman said. “This must be a very distressing experience for such an old parrot.”