Exotic bird in my yard?

[Hayseed]

This past Sunday I got out of my car after a day at work and an unidentifiable bird noise caught my attention. As I looked for the source of the unusual bird song I saw a bird fly away from my bird feeder. It flew over my head squawking and alit in a tree in my front yard. As it flew over head I got a good look at it. It was a green parrot! It flew across the road and landed on the electric line, squawking the whole time. It came back to the feeder and then left again. I have not seen it again since Sunday.

My question is, are green parrots common in Texas or anywhere else in the U.S. for that matter? Was this a migratory bird or a captive bird gone wild?

[egon]

Most likely a captive bird that escaped.

Many years ago we had a budgee '" spelling " get loose outside. It made for a real commotion amoung the local birds. We finally got him back from some people about half a mile away across a swamp.

Egon.

[Bird]

I agree with Egon; almost sure to be a captive that escaped.

[Stoneheartfarm]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
My question is, are green parrots common in Texas or anywhere else in the U.S. for that matter?

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually, they're relatively common here. Course, we keep our in cages. [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Steve

PS. Sorry, couldn't help myself. [img]/forums/images/icons/blush.gif[/img]

[DAP]

In addition to an escapee, the Carolinas became home to some inadvertently introduced species of parakeet sized birds.

While tropical species often do have micro-migratory behavior, they generally do not move great distances.

My vote, based on the limited description (there are dozens of species that many would call green parrots), it is an escapee.

[JazzDad]

My grandmother, in the Houston area, has a parakeet at her feeder quite a bit. An escaped jailbird is our guess. It's pretty chummy with the doves and sparrows.

[Hayseed]

Sorry I can't give a better description. It was bigger than a parakeet, about the size of the grackles at my feeder, green and had a beak like a parrot... and it squawked really loud! It was very shy and would not let me get close to it at all. If it was an escapee it certainly did not want to be re-captured.

I did a search on parrots and was overwhelmed with the varieties there were to choose from. That is why I asked. The info I was able to find indicated that there were feral parrot populations in California as well as the northeast and east. I just wonder if this particular parrot is a feral bird or a very lost tropical bird that wandered too far north. I wish he would have stayed around. He sure added some color and unusual sounds to the normal bird population.

[8NTX]

My "Birds of Texas" book says that these smallish green parrots are not that uncommon in south Texas. They are more abundant throughout Mexico but occassionally visit the southern parts of the state. Probably just have a wanderer on your hands and not someone's pet.

[Pat]

San Diego CA has quite a population of Mexican redheaded green parrots in the Point Loma Community. They are quite raucous. Never a pretty note. They are quite aggressive and chase crows away.

Pt. Loma also has a breeding population of large sulphur breasted blue macaws. These are really big birds and colorfull when a flock is in flight.

Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Hayseed]

I kinda figure it was a wanderer. To me it was way to shy to be an escapee, but who knows. I wish it would have stayed. It sure added an extra dash of color and sound to my backyard.