feral blue crowned and nanday conures visit a backyard birdfeeding station in florida. large flocks of feral parrots call florida home. while most escaped or released parrots don’t survive long enough to breed and create flocks, florida provides a warm enough environment with many food sources.
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most people associate parrots with tropical, warm climates. but recently, quaker parrots, also known as monk parakeets, have made new york their home. it’s theorized the large amount of parrots first entered new york as escapees from a pet store shipment, and additions have come from lost or released birds that have joined the flocks – as well as generations of wild breeding. some people love the parrots – there are even tours to see them – though some, like certain power companies, resent them due to their practice of building large communal nests on telephone poles. the parrots are mainly found in brooklyn and long island, but there are scattered populations throughout the state.
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1. house sparrow with regular coloration
2. pied house sparrow (partial leucism)
3. “blonde” house sparrow (leucistic)
4. albino house sparrow
5. melanistic house sparrow
a lot of people believe that they have to travel to parrots’ native ranges to see them in wild flocks, but there are lots of feral colonies of parrots established across the u.s.! these flocks are descended from released or escaped pet birds, so yes, they may be slightly different from native flocks in their own range, but it’s still a unique experience to see them outside of captivity.
today's bird 