There is a flock (or whatever you call a group) of feral parrots in my neighborhood for years.
Yesterday one of them was perched on a power line and it started to fall over, then caught itself, and was hanging upside down from the line.
The parrot did not seem happy. It was making a lot of noise. Then another parrot came over to it and it looked as if it pushed the parrot back upright and then the two of them flew off.
Did I observe this correctly? Can a parrot hang upside down, yet stuck? Would another bird help out another one that was in distress?
And will these feral parrots live as long as ones in cages do? Will my neighborhood ecosystem eventually be overrun by parrots?
While parrots are generally pretty agile, I suppose it would be possible for one to get into an awkward enough position that it would have trouble pulling itself upright immediately. However, I can’t see any way another parrot would be able to “push” the other to help it.
I think it’s much more likely you were seeing some sort of social display - the first parrot hung upside down deliberately, and was just “having a good squawk.” (Parrots make a lot of noise pretty much any time, not just when they are in distress.) And he righted himself without aid once he was done. The other one that approached may have been the mate.
Feral parrots survive quite well in Southern California and especially South Florida, and several species have well-established breeding populations. They may not have quite the life expectancy of captives due to accidents, but barring that they may well live near the same life span. And feral parrots are not restricted to the subtropical U.S. The Monk Parrot from temperate Argentina is established and spreading in a number to places in the North; I saw a couple in a city park in the Bronx around last Christmas.
Monk Parrots are also known as Quaker Parakeets, and they’re illegal to keep as pets in some states (including, IIRC, Connecticut) because they thrive and drive out native species if they manage to escape. There are burgeoning Quaker nests (yes, they are just about the only true woven-grass-nest-building parrots) in New York City and Dallas, Texas, along with other smaller colonies in less-noticeable cities and towns throughout the country. They’re generally considered a “nuisance bird” in the wild, but they make great pets.
I’ve had (counts on fingers) eight parrots of varying size and species throughout the last decade or so, and I can tell you from my observation that it is possible for them to get upside down in an awkward position and then panic when they can’t right themselves immediately; usually once they stop panicking they’re fine, though. And sometimes they’ll “mock panic” just for fun, to get attention.
“The parrot did not seem happy. It was making a lot of noise” - B does not follow A. Parrots seem to love making noise.
Ever try to make a parrot do what it didn’t want to do?
Seriously, wild birds may carry diseases and parasites. I wouldn’t recommend bringing one home.
Also, parrots are high maintainence creatures. It’s a lot easier to get a baby from a reputable breeder and train it how to behave then to teach a grown, feral bird, IMO.
My conure does the upside down move too. It’s an attention ploy.
Hand-bred Quakers are $300 from a reputable breeder. Caught from the wild, you might get $150 from a reputable purchaser or the full $300 from somebody who didn’t know any better (and if you don’t do the research to know better, then you probably shouldn’t be getting a parrot yet anyway; the same applies to any animal, IMO). Plus they bite and squawk and generally don’t behave if they haven’t been socialized with people from Day 1. Not to mention diseases.
In the parrot fancying community there’s a very strong movement against the purchase, procurement and maintenance of wild-born parrots as pets.
Thanks hardygrll and raninchikii. Having thought myself about buying a parrot (or five) it’s pretty easy to see that given the investment of time and affection, spending a few hundred extra buck is wise and cost effective. There must be people out there who want a bird on the cheap, tho…?
Grin. You don’t pull your hair, run around, wave your arms, and shout at them in funny voices, when they do that, do you? That kind of reaction, from a distance, might amuse a parrot. Especially if you’re wearing that rooster suit.
Parrots seem to love making noise. 