# What's the origin of the wild parrots in southern CA? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 30, 2015, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419 "2015-08-30T19:33:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419/21 "2015-08-31T03:40:38Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > Not to mention [Edgewater](http://edgewaterparrots.com/), New Jersey. Likewise in the Bronx and other parts of New York City. ---
**Author:** ![Daffyd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daffyd/32/8923_2.png) [@Daffyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daffyd)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419/22 "2015-08-31T03:56:14Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > In the 70s & 80s there was a good-sized colony of them in the Arcadia / Monrovia / San Marino area of eastern LA county. There were many distinct flocks. We get about 50 to 75 Conures stop by every morning and every evening here in Pasadena… This morning there were about 15 in my fig tree about just outside my bedroom window. They stole/ate/destroyed about 6 figs, but that’s a small price to pay. I’ve lived here 5 years, and they’ve been coming by my yard daily the whole time… Don’t know how they got here, but they’re just amazing to me… ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419/23 "2015-08-31T04:10:06Z")
Big flocks of green parrots in Panama, easy on the eye but damn they’re noisy. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419/24 "2015-08-31T04:26:13Z")
There used to be a big mixed flock in Griffith park by the LA Zoo. When I volunteered there, we were told that they were escaped or released birds. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419/25 "2015-08-31T05:22:10Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > Not to mention [Edgewater](http://edgewaterparrots.com/), New Jersey. If they came there from Ocean Beach, CA., then that’s REALLY hella inland! ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419/26 "2015-08-31T05:51:23Z")
They all escaped from Disney’s \*Parrots Of The Caribbean \*ride. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419/27 "2015-08-31T06:11:25Z")
> [@ddsun](#): > > There used to be a big mixed flock in Griffith park by the LA Zoo. When I volunteered there, we were told that they were escaped or released birds. Yes, I think that’s the same flock in Burbank. That is, assuming they actually roam as intact flocks. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419/28 "2015-08-31T08:17:20Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Damn, there are parrots everywhere. It’s a conspiracy, I think, and I fear they are planning to stage a coop. > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > They all escaped from Disney’s \*Parrots Of The Caribbean \*ride. I’m not angry, just very disappointed. I want both of you to go to your rooms and think about what you’ve done. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419/29 "2015-08-31T10:02:37Z")
We’ve got 'em here, too. Some people call 'em wild parakeets but they’re bigger than any parakeet I’ve ever seen. Much nosier too. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419/30 "2015-08-31T10:33:14Z")
There was a _conspiracy_ amongst shop owners to populate California with talking parrots to subtly tweet fear-mongering slogans into unsuspecting citizen’s ears. Soon, their sanity will be pinin’ for the fnords. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419/31 "2015-08-31T12:36:49Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Just to add to the OP, there is a famous parrot flock in San Francisco. > > [The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wild_Parrots_of_Telegraph_Hill) That’s also a terrific movie. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419/32 "2015-08-31T13:43:33Z")
I didn’t mention it earlier but we’ve also got wild flocks of some mid-sized green parrots here in coastal suburban Miami. They seem more in evidence in the winter, so they may be migratory at least a bit. Some Googling shows evidence of a small population of feral macaws, but not near where I live, so I’ve not seen them. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419/33 "2015-08-31T16:12:30Z")
There are flocks of wild parrots here in Austin, TX, too, and a lot of similar legends as to where they came from. The most popular story is that exotic animal smugglers released them just before federal agents were about to bust them. There are several parrots who nest in the scoreboards at the softball fields in a local park. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419/34 "2015-08-31T18:11:41Z")
I’m a bit surprised that none of them are native populations. **Colibri** , are there any parrot species native to North America? Or are parrots an Old World/South American thing? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419/35 "2015-08-31T18:23:43Z")
Apparently[not any more](http://science.jrank.org/pages/5042/Parrots-Parrots-in-North-America.html#ixzz3kPzixt9S): > [@](#): > > No native species of parrots breed in North America. The only native species known to have bred in North America was the once-abundant, Carolina parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis). Regrettably, this native species is now extinct, with the last sightings of the species occurring in Florida as late as 1920. > > … > > This native species became extinct because it was considered to be a pest of agriculture, as a result of damages that flocks caused while feeding in fruit orchards and grain fields. The Carolina parakeet was relentlessly persecuted by farmers because of these damages. Unfortunately, the species was an easy mark for extinction because it nested and fed communally, and because these birds tended to aggregate around their wounded colleagues, so that entire flocks could be easily wiped out by hunters. ---
**Author:** ![Pazu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pazu/32/15522_2.png) [@Pazu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pazu)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419/36 "2015-08-31T19:43:48Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Damn, there are parrots everywhere. It’s a conspiracy, I think, and I fear they are planning to stage a coop. Unless they pool their resources, I don’t think they have the budgie for it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419/37 "2015-08-31T19:51:59Z")
I miss the wild parrots. I think about them often in the evenings as the local birds are flying to their roosts. ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419/38 "2015-08-31T20:50:51Z")
I live in Canada. No wild parrots - they wouldn’t survive our winters, but I found an Amazon parrot in my Toronto back yard about 10 years ago. That started a search for his owners, who I never found. It was a total surprise to me when I was told by animal control that escapee birds are not usually claimed, and have often simply been turned loose. Retail price on my bird was around $1200 at the time, I can’t imagine anyone just setting him free, but despite posting him on the net and contacting avian vets in my area, no one stepped up to say he was their bird. (other heartbroken people who’d lost their bird contacted me, but no one for him) Parrots are loud, demanding and obnoxious and can live for decades, and while my newly adopted bird eventually grew to like me, he was pretty hateful with everyone else. Cool bird, and lots of fun, but a much higher maintenance pet than I would have expected. I guess his original owner just got sick of him and let him go. My guess is that many of the wild birds are just former pets turned loose, and their offspring. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419/39 "2015-08-31T21:13:59Z")
> [@brainstall](#): > > I live in Canada. No wild parrots - they wouldn’t survive our winters, but I found an Amazon parrot in my Toronto back yard about 10 years ago. ISTR reading an article or seeing a video several years ago, about parrots thriving in areas where there are harsh Winters. Toronto comes to mind, but I can’t even remember the format I saw these birds in. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419/40 "2015-08-31T21:24:16Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I’m a bit surprised that none of them are native populations. **Colibri** , are there any parrot species native to North America? Or are parrots an Old World/South American thing? As noted in **Fear Itself’s** link, the Carolina Parakeet once occurred in the southeastern US (ranging occasionally north to New York) but was hunted to extinction by the 1920s. The [Thick-billed Parrot](http://www.wildearthguardians.org/site/PageServer?pagename=species_birds_thick_billed_parrot#.VeTDR_lVhBc) once ranged into the southwestern US but has become locally extinct there while surviving in Mexico. Unsuccessful efforts have been made to reintroduce it. The[Red-crowned Amazon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-crowned_amazon) may sometimes occur naturally in south Texas as strays from Mexico. Many parrots can tolerate mild temperate conditions, and the [Monk or Quaker Parakeet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monk_parakeet), originally from Argentina, has established feral populations as far north as Massachusetts and Chicago. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-wild-parrots-in-southern-ca/729419.md?page=3)