February 11, 1988 - Parrots: Colorful SurvivorsPage SA/The Suffolk Times /February 11, 1988
Photo New York State Conservationist
MONK PARROT- -This handsome, green parrot that escaped in 1968
has multiplied and established itself in many parts of our state. Three
have been reported on the North Fork this winter.
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Parrots: Colorful Survivors
By PAUL STOUTENBURGH
It's surprising how many new birds
have moved into our area in the past 50
years or so. I've often mentioned the star-
ling, house sparrow and house finch as
birds introduced by being released from
cages into the wild. Their evidence at our
feeders shows how they've multiplied.
Also there's the movement north of birds
such as cardinals, mockingbirds, titmice
and now the red - bellied woodpecker.
These are all native birds of the south who
for some reason have moved north in the
past, much like the raccoon and opossum
in the animal world.
This year a pair of monk parrots was
reported on our Orient Christmas bird
count and a single bird on the same day in
an orchard near Cutchogue. To date we
have not been able to document any find-
ings on the south shore. These strikingly
handsome birds are about a foot tall and
are made up of greens, greys and blacks,
giving the bird an overall green color from
a distance.
The first time I saw one of these color-
ful, new birds was at a typical feeder
situation. Most reports throughout the
state and from afarcome from people who
have attracted the bird to their feeders.
Originally the monk parrot was brought
into this country as a caged bird. Pet shops
are always looking for colorful birds that
are easy to keep, relatively inexpensive.
and easy to procure. In 1968 alone 12,000
of these birds were imported from South
America through Kennedy Airport. It was
here one of the cages broke and birds
escaped. These were probably the first in
a long series of escaped birds to enter our
country. England has the same problem.
Birds have escaped there, gone into the
wild and have become pests.
Tough on Crop
In their native country monk parrots
range from Bolivia and Southern Brazil to
Central Argentinia where they are consid-
ered a real problem for they eat many of
the crops and in some instances create a
crop loss of over 45 percent. Fruit and
grain are their delight plus a multitude of
other seeds that grow wild.
It's rather amazing to think of a parrot
living through our cold winters in the
north but some of the habitat of these birds
is similar to ours and they are able to
survive. When I saw my first monk parrot
in the middle of the winter there was an
electric heater keeping the water from
freezing over. I couldn't believe my eyes.
Here it was enjoying sunflower seeds and
sipping warm water from the heated bath.
The bird builds a huge, stick nest that
reminds one of a bushel basket. It enters
this hollow nest from the side or below.
Oftentimes the nest houses more than one
pair of parrots at a time, each having its
own compartment. They enjoy company
and are often seen flying together. Per-
haps this is why the bird is able to survive
our winters for at dusk it enters the nest
cavity and escapes the bitter, winter cold.
When they were first introduced the birds
were completely confused; their nesting
time was exactly the opposite of ours.
That is to say when the monk parrot
nested in its native South America our
season was winter and therefore when
they arrived here their inner timeclocks
had to be reset. This they did through the
years.
Parrots Found Near Cities
#The greatest concentration of these
Focus on
Nature
parrots is near large cities or towns. There
are more pet shops handling them, of
course. Some are bound to escape. Even
in the home aviary birds are often allowed
to fly at will and a sudden door opening
gives the chance for escape. In heavily
populated areas there are also more bird
feeders and therefore more feed through-
out the year. Several hundred sightings of
parrots have been reported from the New
York City -New Jersey area and more than
30 sightings, some of several birds, were
reported from upstate New York.
It is because of the parrots' liking for
grain seeds and fruits that the commercial
grower objects to them. Federal and state
governments are concerned about their
spread should they become established
and multiply. Surveys are continually
underway to determine what action
should be taken. Early thought was that
they should be eliminated and a vigorous
campaign of trapping was started. How-
ever, the birds have not spread as antici-
pated. It is hoped natural causes will
control these immigrants from South
America.
It's always a problem to eradicate
"outsiders" once they are established. We
only have to look at examples of other
birds, animals and insects in particular to
see the damage they can do. Take for
example the Gypsy moth that came from
overseas and the fruitless efforts toward
its control. Great programs of spraying
were undertaken. We all know the prob-
lem with aerial spraying is that it kills all
the good insects along with the bad. Even
the parasites that would have helped
control them are killed.
So far it seems the escape of the monk
parrot into the wild has done little to upset
our world. Time alone will tell. Remem-
ber the starling, the house sparrow, and
the house finch. They, too, were but a few
in the beginning.
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