Best Places to See Feral Parrots

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PARROTS TODAY: current situation and conflicts

As exotic as the colonies of bright green birds seem in the parks of Brooklyn or Chicago, the United States did once have its own native parrot, the Carolina Parakeet. The bird, which ate grain and had an unfortunate habit of going back to find its fallen parrots after they were shot, was hunted to extinction in the early 1900s.

Many see the new parrots living here--especially the most established and adaptable species--the Monk (or Quaker) Parrot as a replacement for those long lost birds. Biologists have re-introduced Rocky Mountain Elk into Pennsylvania to replace the extinct Eastern Elk, which had been hunted to extinction. An effort to reintroduce our other native parrot, the thick-billed parrot, from Mexico to Arizona eventually proved too difficult.

Theories abound about where these birds came from. The typical urban legend involves an escape from crates at an airport in the 1960s. Brooklyn parrot expert Steve Baldwin says there may be some truth to the story since mob-linked port workers would have felt entitled to take a little something from every crate that arrived. Only when they opened the parrot crate, their potential cut flew away. Other common stories included a fire at a pet shop or individual escapees or careless owners who just set the birds free.

The birds do surprisingly well here, with outposts across the country. They don't seem to mind the winter. Baldwin says that's because many are from cold, mountain regions. The monk parrot is the most common, but many other species have established colonies in California, Florida and Texas. Miami has lots of white-winged and yellow-chevroned parakeets all over. Tampa has black-hooded parrots.

The parrots biggest challenge yet living in the United States came from the USDA, which set out to exterminate the parrots as a threat to agriculture. The public, who delighted in seeing the birds, eventually shut the USDA plan down, but not before they killed off a large portion of the population. Even though the birds have been a menace to farmers in South America, here they haven't presented much trouble. Their colonies are mainly urban and suburban, not rural.

Utility companies are the current threat to parrots. Monk parrots build massive nests on tall poles. The problem is that tallest poles around often hold electrical transformers and the electric companies fear fires, though there haven't been many. Utility companies from Connecticut to Washington state have been taking down nests and gassing parrots.

Parrot advocates have found a more humane solution: building artificial nesting platforms nearby so that parrots leave the utility poles alone. The platforms have worked around Boston, but parrot advocates still have to convince utility companies and parrots around the country to give them a try.

VIEWING TIPS

They're shy. Don't try to touch them. Certainly don't try to catch them.

The normal rules about not feeding wild animals don't apply with the parrots, which are not really a native species. In cold climates they rely on the kindness of strangers to get through the winter. In warmer climates like San Francisco, feeding is frowned upon. Behavior varies by species, but generally they roost together at night. They like tall poles--stadium lights, utility poles. In the day they go out and forage, then all return before dark.

BEST PLACES TO SEE PARROTS