Were Wild Monk Parrots Transported to the Northeast U.S.A. Via Hurricane Gloria?
Did the Wild Monk (AKA Quaker) Parrots of the Northeast U.S.A. Hitch a Ride on Hurricane Gloria? Like many, I’ve been surfing the Web searching for news of Hurricane Ike today. I happened to stumble across a very odd claim on a web page devoted to Hurricane Gloria, an extremely destructive storm which hit the New York area on September 27, 1985. On this page, there’s an extraordinary claim that I couldn’t resist mentioning: One unusual occurrence after Hurricane Gloria was the number of parrots that took up residence along the Connecticut coast. Known a Monk Parrots – these tropical birds apparently became caught up in the eye of Hurricane Gloria as it passed just to the east of San Salvador Island in the Bahamas. The mild winter climate of the Connecticut coast allowed the birds to survive and breed in great numbers. Despite attempts by Connecticut Light and Power Company at eradication – the bright colored (yellow and green) tropical birds are still visible on telephone poles and in
