‘The Andy Griffith Show’ Helped a Dancing Pet Bird Reunite With Family Years After Going Missing

Thanks to The Andy Griffith Show‘s classic TV theme song, a Pennsylvania man reunited with his dancing pet bird years after it went missing.

When Jasen Arriaga’s cockatiel Lucky flew out the window of his Lancaster home, he thought he lost his friend forever. And after three years passed without so much as seeing his feathered companion, he had completely given up on a reunion.

But apparently, Lucky had been living his life among the trees of PA. And by chance, he landed on the front porch of Christ United Methodist Church during a rainstorm earlier this month.

Church patron Louise Duncan noticed the colorful bird taking shelter and knew he had to belong to a local resident.

“I knew it was not a normal bird that comes by because it had an orange or yellow plume,” Duncan told the WGAL reported, per NBC 10.

Upon spotting Lucky, Duncan and Pastor Roseann Goldberg-Taylor called for help from the Organization for Responsible Care of Animals. Workers successfully trapped the bird and took it to their headquarters.

From there, ORCA posted pictures of the bird on Facebook hoping that someone may recognize the lost pet. And luckily, the Arriaga family saw the post.

Jansen immediately contacted the organization with pictures of the bird to show that it was his. But he also said he could further prove ownership with a special trick. Apparently, the pet bird learned to dance to the theme song of The Andy Griffith Show. So Jansen headed in to whistle the tune.

After Three Years, The Dancing Bird Still Knew the Movies to ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ Theme Song

When Jansen Arriaga first arrived, workers said that the bird appeared to vaguely recognize him. And when he spoke, Lucky “seemed curious.”

But once Jansen broke out the classic theme song, the bird instantly knew what was going on.

“He started whistling that song and the bird started dancing, kind of bobbing his head, so we knew then that it had to be the same bird,” ORCA employee Libby Rannels said.

But unfortunately, the family only came in for a short visit with their lost friend. Between the time that Lucky left for his adventure and the Methodist church found him, Jansen Arriaga had moved to a new home. And the bird couldn’t stay there.

However, everything worked out for the dancing bird in the end. Because he charmed everyone with his The Andy Griffith Show moves, ORCA decided he could stay put. Now he’s the official office pet.

“He has been through a lot for the past few years,” the organization posted on its Facebook page. “And we really just want to give him some stability and consistency. He will be very loved here with us.”