Today, Monk (or Quaker) parakeets comprise the largest group of the nine species of parrots known to live in the wild in the United States. But their success in establishing an ecological niche for themselves didn't come easily.
The birds, Myiopsitta Monachus, originate from South America. A government-sponsored program in Argentina managed to kill more than 400,000 of them in the late 1950s and early 1960s. But in the mid 1960's, someone had a bright idea: instead of killing them, why not ship them to the U.S.A. and make a few extra dollars? More than 60,000 wild parrots were shipped from South America to the U.S.A. during the 1960s and early 1970s.
Brooklyn has a large population of these wild parrots and many theories as to how the birds first were released into the wild. In 1973, the Federal Government became aware of the parrots' existence in the New York area, and sent out SWAT-style eradication teams which captured many birds and shot those unwilling to surrender. One of the last remaining parrot strongholds, a nest complex on Rikers Island, Queens, managed to survive the eradication teams and are the probable ancestors of the parrots alive today all over Brooklyn.
These intelligent, non-aggressive birds, which no self-respecting scientist has ever claimed have caused any significant crop damage in the U.S., are regarded with extreme hostility in many states. In New Jersey and Connecticut, they are classified as a "potentially dangerous species." In Pennsylvania, they are reportedly euthanized on the spot whenever power companies find them nesting on transmission lines. In Florida, both the state Department of Transportation and the Florida Power & Light utility company do the same thing. Florida Power & Light has for years maintained secret gas chambers where captured parrots are killed en masse.
Stephen Carl Baldwin, at
Brooklyn Parrots, writes, "The fact that North America has a new parrot on its shores is in my view a blessing, especially because our countrymen wiped out our only native parrot - the Carolina Parakeet - nearly a hundred years ago. Nature has given us the rarest of gifts: a second chance."
SourceYes - we do have Monk parakeets in Illinois!There are monk parakeet colonies in nearly 20 Chicago suburbs.
I took the following photo in Alsip, Illinois, on December 6, 2006.
It was 8:30 am, temperature was 36 degrees. There were about a dozen of these gorgeous, vivid green birds at 116th and Springfield.
A parrot that alerted his owner about a baby who was choking was recognized as a hero by the Red Cross. Willie the parrot was given the Animal Lifesaver Award during the "Breakfast of Champions" event in Denver.
Willie received the award for his actions in November, when he and owner Megan Howard were baby-sitting a toddler. Willie repeatedly yelled "Mama, baby" when Howard went to the bathroom and the toddler started to choke on her breakfast.
Howard saved the baby by performing the Heimlich maneuver but she said Willie "is the real hero."
Source
Got the turkey?
Let's eat!
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
This is a baby Brotogeris Jugularis, a parrot known as "bronceado".
AP Photo/William Fernando Martinez
Police in Japan rescued an African grey parrot two weeks ago from a roof in the city of Nagareyama, near Tokyo. After spending a night at the station, he was transferred to a nearby veterinary hospital while police searched for his owners.
After a few days with the vet, the parrot became chatty.
"I'm Mr. Yosuke Nakamura," the bird told the veterinarian.
The parrot also provided his full home address, down to the street number, and even entertained the hospital staff by singing songs.
Believable story!
Our own family's African grey parrot, Frankie, is also a well-versed conversationalist. He speaks both English and Italian and actually says things he has learned when the time is right. For example, when the phone rings, he says "Hello," and carries on a pretend (mumbled) conversation until he feels the call has been long enough, then says, "Thanks for calling. Bye-bye, now!"
When the doorbell rings, Frankie somehow knows who's outside even though he can't see them. He'll say, "Who's there, Julie?" when it's me.
Frankie is an adventurous eater - he likes just about everything we eat. Favorites are chicken leg bones and biscotti, which he dunks in his water dish.
Often, he gets messy with his food. He'll pick up clawfulls of seeds and throw them. Then he says, "Stop that! I'm going to spank your butt!"
Photo:
corsi photo (Of Frankie tasting shrimp for the first time.)
Dallas police say a homeowner today fatally shot an intruder after his parrot alerted him that someone was on the property.
Dennis Baker, who keeps several pet birds, said his Mexican Red-headed parrot "Salvador" said "hello" when he sees someone.
As a man passed by a window at his home, Salvador began saying "Hello, hello," awaking Baker.
Baker approached 46-year-old John Woodson in a detached garage -- and shot him.
Woodson died at a hospital.
Here's another weird story from Sweden ...
A Stockholm, Sweden, man was forced to get veterinary assistance when a mysterious parrot took up a position on his head and refused to budge.
Catharina Nordin of Stockholm Police said the bird "came out of nowhere" Monday and attached itself to the head of the man, whose name was not released, The Local reported Tuesday.
The man and his wife sought assistance from the local animal hospital after their own attempts at removing the bird from the man's head failed.
Today, Monk (or Quaker) parakeets comprise the largest group of the nine species of parrots known to live in the wild in the United States. But their success in establishing an ecological niche for themselves didn't come easily.
