a feral quaker parrot, naturally found in south america, tries a taste of sunflower. quaker parrots have established themselves throughout the world due to escapes and intentional releases from the pet trade, and some flocks number in the thousands.
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the quaker parrot, also known as the monk parakeet, is a medium-sized green and off-white parrot native to south america.
quaker parrots are well known for their unusual nest-building habits. they are one of the few species of birds to be resident in their nests throughout the year, not just during breeding season. quaker parrots create huge, communal nests out of twigs – sometimes as big as a small automobile. each parrot pair has an ‘apartment’ within the nest, and an entire flock shares the communal nest.
quaker parrots feed off of fruits, berries, seeds, and nuts.
quaker parrots are well-loved as pets. despite being loud and territorial, they can also be devoted companions with large vocabularies. however – it isn’t legal to own quaker parrots everywhere, as they can easily become invasive if introduced into the wild.
large flocks of feral quaker parrots, sometimes numbering in the thousands, exist throughout the world. it’s hard to tell exactly how they got there – many of the original birds may be escaped pets, or intentional releases, that then bred and created many more birds. some consider them pests, as they feed off of fruit and grain crops and can be noisy, and others love them. they can create problems when they build their large communal nests on telephone poles – sometimes causing fires. however, some celebrate them – they have become the mascot for a college in new york, as large flocks of them nest on campus.
quaker parrots are very abundant and are currently rated least concern by the iucn.
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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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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.
todays bird is: chicken the quaker parrot!
today's bird 