Winston Churchill

[Guest P43]

History experts in Britain are questioning whether a foul-mouthed, 104-year-old bird belonged to Winston Churchill.

Charlie is a blue and yellow macaw. Her owner, Peter Oram, claims the former prime minister bought Charlie from his father-in-law in 1937. Oram says he took the bird back after Churchill's death in 1965.

Oram says the bird "knows several swear words." Legend has it her favourite sayings were colourful expressions aimed at Hitler and the Nazis.

Macaw photo courtesy Colin Scott

Churchill is known to have loved animals. He had a menagerie of pets including pigs, cats, swans and lambs.

But staff at Chartwell, Churchill's country home now run as an historic site, say they've searched records and photographs and have not found evidence he owned a parrot.

They say they've also spoken to family members who deny he owned a macaw

h--p://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2004/01/20/parrot_040120.html