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Escaped Parrots Now Established in 23 US States

Tazlima

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My own quaker, Gus, is the offspring of one of these established colonies. He fell out of the nest as a hatchling and was brought to the woman who ended up raising him, because she was the only "bird person" the finder knew.

(Actually, they suspect he may have been kicked from the nest, as he's very small for a quaker).
 
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Zara

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Another interesting read.

Here on the southern coast of Spain we have a lot of monk parakeets. They frequently fly down my street :)

I found this rather interesting:
¨Studying the natural history of established parrots in the USA could provide important insights into fundamental aspects of their ecology and conservation. Further, some of these naturalized species, such as the red-crowned Amazon parrot, are endangered in their native ranges. But this parrot’s population is increasing in the United States -- so much so that there now are more red-crowned Amazon parrots living freely in US cities than in its native range in northeastern Mexico (more here). This raises the possibility that established populations of endangered parrots may be used as source populations to bolster future conservation efforts (more here).¨
 

Beasley

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Yep! They’re amazing how they adapted here! When I was young we had a whole flock, hundreds of them, that lived in our neighborhood. They really liked a few trees on our property and when they landed there the sound was deafening.
 

EkkieLu

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That is incredible! I'm glad they're doing so well!
 

Beasley

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When they first showed up we thought they would be hawk snacks with that bright green but they blend into the desert flora so well you can barely see them. They really like the mesquite trees gnarly thorns on those suckers but they don’t seem to have a problem making a home anywhere :lol:I’ve seen them in chandler, north Phoenix, south Phoenix, Glendale, paradise Valley and Scottsdale - they’re an AZ phenomenon!
 

taxidermynerd

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In Chicago, in the Hyde Park area more specifically, there is a wild quaker population. I've heard it's huge. I'd love to see it in person one day.

I don't know if this is true, but I've heard that in London there is a wild IRN population that was started by Jimi Hendrix releasing a pair from his apartment window.
 

Zara

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I don't know if this is true, but I've heard that in London there is a wild IRN population that was started by Jimi Hendrix releasing a pair from his apartment window.

Rumour has it he contributed but did not start the wild population.
Jimi Hendrix's Parekeets - is he responsible for the parakeet population in London? | British GQ
Did Jimi Hendrix Release Green Parrots Into London’s Parks? - British Bird Lovers

It´s amazing they thrive there with how cold it gets... I wonder if they will have lowered life spans because of it...
 

tka

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Rumour has it he contributed but did not start the wild population.
Jimi Hendrix's Parekeets - is he responsible for the parakeet population in London? | British GQ
Did Jimi Hendrix Release Green Parrots Into London’s Parks? - British Bird Lovers

It´s amazing they thrive there with how cold it gets... I wonder if they will have lowered life spans because of it...
IRNs come from mountainous areas, so the cold doesn't bother them at all. They tend to nest earlier than the native species and grab the suitable nest sites so their numbers are increasing. There's a flock living near me so I usually see some - and definitely hear them - every day.
 

Zara

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Very interesting. I have spent little time in London, and never seen any IRNs. I went for a long weekend with an ex who lived in Chiswick, I went for a weekend with my parents as a tourist doing all the tourist stuff and I went the occasional time to gigs (memorably I was there at the last gig in the Hammersmith Palais 12 years ago) I´d always spend a day or two down there to look around but I don´t remember any parrot species. I hear there are even wild parrots as far north as Manchester. In my life I never saw a parrot that wasn´t in a zoo (and a couple of budgies in pet shops).
 

tka

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You can usually hear them rather than see them! They're very distinctive with their long tails but really are fast. There's a feeder near my flat that I sometimes see them eat from, but they blend in surprisingly well with the leaves and greenery so they're hard to see when perching in trees. If you want to see them I suggest SW London in green spaces and parks: Richmond Park is particularly good for parakeet spotting. I've seen and heard them in Hampstead Heath (NW London) too. They tend to avoid built up areas.
 

Zara

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I will remember that if I ever go back to London. I rarely visit the UK anymore which is sad.


They tend to avoid built up areas.
Here the Monk parakeets stick to the palm trees down on the beach or the parks next to the beach. They avoid the town centre where the buildings are. When I came back from my latest hike I saw about 15-20 in a tree up there, they were eating something growing on the tree.
 

Hankmacaw

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Here, about 100 miles North of Phoenix we have colonies of Budgies. They travel between Payson (5,200 feet) in the summer to Tonto Basin (2,238 feet) in the winter. The weather is fairly moderate in both locations and there is plenty of water and food for them. But they are so tiny that they are hard to see.
 

iamwhoiam

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Flocks of Amazon parrots in So. CA. I hear them and see them flying overhead sometimes.
Also flock of canary winged Bee-Bee parrots have found a home at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens. I've seen a few of them in the trees and flying around.
 

Rain Bow

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I've been getting some of these articles through Google on my phone. The one LadyJ posted & the one Zara quoted from. I think it's kind of cool that some of these Parrots re-habitation like the red crowned. I think it's interesting that how their extinction levels may not be what is listed or "quoted" because they think some of these new populations have taken off so well in their new zones. Sorry my post is not more clear, brain just turned into a potato. :lol: off to sleep now!
 
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