A pet chicken has become a local hit with animal lovers for balancing on its owner's motorcycle during road trips.

The rooster named Chao Wai has made a habit of sitting on the motorbike's pillion passenger seat as he and Samathi Sappanet, 50, take rides around Buriram province in Thailand.

Samathi said he has been raising Chao Wai since he was just a fledgling and the bird would often sit on him when he feeds it.

Described as a playful and clingy companion, Chao Wai, now nine months old, accompanies Samathi whenever he leaves on his motorcycle.

The owner said of his beloved avian friend: 'This April, I saw Chao Wai sitting on the motorcycle. I tried to shoo him away, but he wouldn't budge, so I decided to just hop on with him on the backseat.

'To my surprise, he just sat there while I drove. He's used to it now and he goes with me wherever I go. Sometimes, we even go for 20-mile drives.'

Samathi said he was aware of Chao Wai's popularity, with several people offering to buy the rooster. However, he refused them, worried they might not take care of Chao Wai properly.

He said: 'I consider Chao Wai my friend, and I want to continue raising him until his final days.'