Can parrots really survive so far away from their natural habitat?
T.S., via e-mail Depends on where you live. If you live in warm Southern California or tropical South Florida, the answer is likely to be yes. Those regions are well-known for colonies of feral parrots escaped pets, most likely, living as wild. Even in cooler, more northern climates, sightings of parrots gone wild are not uncommon. Some areas consider feral parrots to be a threat to native species, as in the case of a Quaker (also known as monk) parakeet. The bird’s ability to thrive in the wild and its aggressive colonizing tendencies have led to the species being banned as pets in some jurisdictions, most notably the entire state of California. On trips to Southern California, I haven’t noticed any Quaker parakeets, but I have seen many other parrots and listened to their loud calls to each other at dawn and dusk. In Northern California, San Francisco has a well-known colony of feral parrots, and even in Sacramento, my old neighborhood had a couple of conures living wild for years an
