An animal charity called to the aid of what was believed to be an injured parrot was surprised to discover the "bird" was actually a Christmas hat.
A woman called the Scottish SPCA after she spotted what she thought was an injured creature while driving home in Aberdeen on Friday.
But when Scottish SPCA animal rescue officer Karen Hogg arrived at the scene she found the call-out had been caused by a knitted hat lying in the middle of the city's Great Western Road.
Ms Hogg said: "It's fair to say the lady who called was mortified when I called her back to tell her it wasn't actually a parrot.
"When she was on her way home from the shops, she thought she saw an injured bird on the road. The hat has green holly which she assumed was the body and a red bobble sticking out which she thought was the parrot's head.
"As the lady was driving at the time she wasn't able to stop and get a good look so called to alert us.
"When I got there it was a nice surprise to find there wasn't an animal in danger and I must admit it gave me a bit of Christmas cheer."
She added: "The hat is now being safely looked after at our centre in Drumoak. If anyone recognises the hat they are welcome to come and collect it.
"Although this incident turned out to be a false alarm, we'd always encourage people to give us a call if they think an animal is in need of help."
The Scottish SPCA is urging anyone who finds an animal in danger or distress to helpline on 03000 999 999.
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