Visitors to Chicago’s Hyde Park or New York’s Green-Wood Cemetery may be surprised to hear the boisterous squawks of lime-green monk parakeets. These birds, descendants of free-roaming pets, have established robust colonies in these cities despite the annual climatic conditions. According to a recent study, runaway pet parrots have established breeding populations in nearly half of the United States.
The United States was home to only two native parrot species: the parakeet (now extinct) and the thick-billed parrot (now found only in Mexico). That doesn’t mean Americans don’t have plenty of opportunities to see free-flying parrots. According to a new study, fifty-six parrot species live in the wild in twenty-three states. Twenty-five species have formed breeding colonies.
The Migratory Bird Written Agreement Act makes it illegal to remove any bird (or part of a bird) from a list of numerous native species. Instead, the pet trade illegally and unlawfully imports exotic bird species such as parrots—and inevitably, many of these birds escape and occasionally breed. With two possible exceptions, all of the parrots described in this study are descended from free-roaming pets.
A team of scientists, led by Cornell graduate student Jennifer Uehling, examined parrot sightings from fifteen years of community science observations, notably the annual Christmas Bird Count and Cornell University’s ubiquitous eBird data. Birders record their sightings, along with comments, and reviewers verify any rarities with additional details, observations, and images. The researchers judged that a bird population was “established” if birdwatchers identified the species twenty-five or more times (a deliberately high but comparably arbitrary figure) and if records included observations of nesting.
According to the paper published in the Journal of Zoological Science, fifty-six species were identified 118,744 times at 19,812 separate places. The monk paraquet accounted for nearly one-third of the observations, while red-crowned Amazons and Nanday parakeets accounted for 13.3 percent and 11.9 percent of the sightings, respectively. California, Florida, and Texas accounted for the majority of the recommendations.
This is community science knowledge, thus it’s worth questioning some of the observations. But still, that’s a lot of parrots.
How do parrots thrive in a completely foreign environment? The researchers argue that monk parakeets would build nests in natural or man-made structures, alter their diets to survive in cold climates, and form new populations far from where they were born.
They excel at adapting to human-modified environments. The researchers highlight that human density and the minimum January temperature have the most impact on the range of naturalized parrots—which is why it’s not surprising that southern Texas, southern Florida, and southern California have the most parrots.
But should these colorful colonies be cherished or destroyed, given that the birds are invasive? Destruction efforts are frequently met with opposition by bird lovers, and proposed legislation in several states, including New York and New Jersey, would protect monk parakeets, according to the new report.
The red-crowned Amazon is red-listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in its native range, and it may acquire similar safeguards in the US.
According to the paper published in the Journal of Zoology, fifty-six species were identified 118,744 times at 19,812 separate places. The monk parrot accounted for over a third of the observations, while red-crowned Amazons and Nanday parakeets accounted for 13.3% and 11.9% of the sightings, respectively. California, Florida, and Texas accounted for the majority of the records.
This is community science information, so some of the observations should be viewed with skepticism. Still, that’s a lot of parros, in line with the new study.
The red-crowned Amazon is red-listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in its native range, and it may acquire similar safeguards in the US.
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