{"id":20640,"date":"2025-01-06T16:42:47","date_gmt":"2025-01-06T16:42:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newyorktour1.com\/blog\/?p=357"},"modified":"2025-01-06T16:42:48","modified_gmt":"2025-01-06T16:42:48","slug":"untold-nyc-history-brooklyn-parrots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/blog\/untold-nyc-history-brooklyn-parrots\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Brooklyn Parrots, NYC’s Famous Wild Birds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Say you\u2019re strolling through Brooklyn one morning enjoying your iced latte and artisan doughnut when you notice your shoelace is loose. You place your treat down for a moment to tie your shoe when a bird swoops down and steals your breakfast. But this fellow is no ordinary New York City pigeon. This little pastry thief is a resplendent green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re not imagining things. You\u2019ve been robbed by one of Brooklyn\u2019s most beloved and unusual residents, the monk parakeets, aka Quaker parrots. Who are these unusual birds? Why are they here? How can you see them on your NYC visit? And what else can you do besides urban birdwatching in New York?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, there are many questions. As your resident NYC experts (we\u2019ve been doing tours here for over 15 years, so we know a thing or two about the city), we\u2019re here to help. Read on for everything you need or may not need to know about the Brooklyn parrots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where did the Brooklyn Parrots come from?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Monk<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Like most New Yorkers, these parrots came from somewhere else. Some of the more entertaining theories involve a shipwreck off the coast or a near magical journey in the eye of a hurricane. But the truth is only a little less spectacular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consensus amongst birders and ornithologists alike is that today\u2019s parrots are the descendants of a flock that escaped John F. Kennedy International Airport in the 1960s. Imported from the tropics and destined for pet stores, a few birds broke loose and, despite all odds, found NYC to be a suitable new home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kathleen Lynch, an associate professor of biology at Hofstra University in New York, told the Long Island Herald<\/a> in 2017 that, while she wouldn\u2019t necessarily fully endorse the JFK theory of how the birds came to be in New York, she believed it must be likely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don’t think they’re migratory birds,\u201d she said. \u201cThey have to be a pet-trade thing. They’re definitely not native birds.\u201d She also noted that she was \u201cshocked\u201d to find them in such a cold climate and was pleasantly surprised to see them here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How the Brooklyn Parrots survive in New York<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Pair
Credit: Rhododendrites \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Despite being tropical birds, monk parakeets are resilient to cold and can handle our winters in NYC. They have a wide-ranging diet and have adjusted to the constant supply of discarded food. They also possess incredibly dextrous feet, allowing them to construct elaborate apartment-like nests hosting multiple breeding pairs. Or maybe snatch your doughnut (see my intro above).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s fascinating about these birds\u2019 nests is that they\u2019re quite large and house several birds each. They\u2019re akin to a New York apartment, actually, as you\u2019ll find so many birds living in one nest at a time. Bird experts note that in many cases, each bird has its own entrance to the nest as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also build their nests around electrical wires so that they\u2019ll have heat, especially during the colder months in New York. You\u2019ll find their nests in trees, too, but they tend to gravitate toward warmer locations in the winter (without necessarily leaving the city).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But their best trait is one shared by most New Yorkers \u2014 they love to talk!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n