Is Eagle Rock the New Abode for Wild Parrots?

Red-crowned Parrot (Amazona viridigenalis). Credit Courtesy: Kimball Garrett Suddenly, there seem to be more of the pesky birds than ever before, causing some head scratching among residents.

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Parrots Living Wild in American Cities

Red-crowned amazon in Palm Beach FLFrom San Francisco to South Florida, populations of nonnative parrots—some imperiled in their tropical homelands—are thriving in U.S. cities and suburbs

ON A STEAMY spring morning, Joe Barros and Paul Bithorn of the Tropical Audubon Society were driving around Miami with their windows down, listening for telltale squawks. Winding through golf courses, residential streets and downtown parks, the expert birders were searching for parrots, and they found them all over the city: yellow-chevroned parakeets crowding a backyard feeder, mitred parakeets preening in a melaleuca tree, a colorful flock of Amazons—lilac-crowned, yellow-headed and orange-winged parrots—on power lines, even a pair of blue-and-yellow macaws that flew into a nest in a dead royal palm. In all, Barros and Bithorn spotted 16 species of parrots before sundown, a number that would be difficult for a birder to top anywhere on the planet.

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San Francisco group flooded with parrot rescues

Cherry-headed conures are shown in Berkeley, Calif. Wild parrots have become a common sight in San Francisco. Photo: AP SAN FRANCISCO — The wild parrots that call San Francisco home have become a given of city life, squawking their way to their favorite spots, delighting tourists.

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Stress eased by connecting with the wild parrots of Sunnyvale

Mitred parakeet in Redondo Beach CA.Are you looking for a way to deal with life stressors? Many studies have shown that nature can help you improve your well being and health. It’s something you just know when you experience it. It worked for me.

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Wild Neighbors: Probably the Last Parrot Column

Mitred parakeet (Aratinga mitrata) in Fort Lauderdale, FL

The parrot reports keep coming in. (For anyone who got here late, I had asked readers for any information on the red-and-green parrots, conures, or parakeets that frequent northwest Berkeley. Based on the response, the flock consists of four mitred parakeets, AKA mitred conures, and they’re seen most often in the vicinity of James Kenney Park. Most of the sightings have been fairly recent, although Steve Halflich has been observing them for 19 years.) 

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