Tropical birds thriving in Chicago

February 7, 2008 at 7:23 am · Filed under News

Trudging along the snow-covered streets of Hyde Park, you hear chirping and screeching resembling the sound of Styrofoam pieces rubbing together. You look up and see a bright green and blue parakeet. You may think that all the cold and snow has finally made you go mad, but there really are tropical birds that have colonized on the South Side of Chicago. They are called monk parakeets.

These birds have been living in Hyde Park for more than 30 years. No one knows exactly how the wild parakeets arrived in Chicago, but it seems they are here to stay.

Mark Spreyer, a biologist who directs the Stillman Nature Center in South Barrington, has written about the monk parakeet and led tours for people interested in seeing the exotic birds. He told Parrot Chronicles the monk parakeets “chose the right place to put up a colony. Everyone there really likes them. It’s a really diverse neighborhood and I think there’s a kind of multiculturalism connection between the people and the birds. They fascinate people,” he said.

Stephen Pruett-Jones, associate professor of ecology and evolution at the University of Chicago, will give a lecture on the exotic birds who have settled in Hyde Park. The impact of these non-native birds on other bird species, the environment and the community is the topic of Pruett-Jones’ lecture at noon on Feb. 20.

Roughly one foot long, the monk parakeet is a very social and gregarious bird. The plume of green feathers on the bird’s head and neck inspired its scientific name, myiopsitta monachus, because its hood of feathers resembles a monk’s hood, according to the Houston Audubon Society. More details can be checked here.

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Rare Bird Missing In Baltimore

February 6, 2008 at 9:55 am · Filed under News

A rare South American bird is missing in South Baltimore.

He’s a beloved family pet and, as Ron Matz reports, an all-out search is underway in Federal Hill.

From the rooftop of her home, Gita Ollange is calling Connor. His cage is empty and she is heartbroken. Her beautiful gold crown conure flew away three days ago.

“I’m hoping that somebody has him,” she said. “He’s very smart and gorgeous and he responds to his name.” More details here

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Firefighters capture escaped Exotic Parrot

January 31, 2008 at 7:17 am · Filed under News

San Mateo firefighters had to use a 100-foot ladder truck to help a woman catch her parrot, “Cookie,” after it flew the coop Monday afternoon.

The 1 1/2-hour capture operation started about 3:30 p.m. on the 1400 block of Yew Street. Initially, firefighters and Cookie’s owner tried to use a 24-foot ladder to climb up to the bird, but the parrot got spooked and took off for a higher spot, said Acting Deputy Fire Chief John Healy.

“It was a long process,” Healy said. “They had to keep an eye on it as it was flying away to see where it went next. A large crowd had gathered just to watch the whole thing.”

Usually, the fire department does not do this type of rescue, but this case was different, he said. More details here.

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Reward offered for Purloined Parrot

January 29, 2008 at 11:01 am · Filed under News

A northwest Indiana pet store is offering a $100 reward for the safe return of a stolen green and yellow parrot.

PetLand manager Dennis Durk says a man who came into the Hobart store shortly before it closed Saturday night and apparently walked out the back door with the $900 parrot under his coat. Further details here.

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Birds-of-a-feather raise a big Flap

January 28, 2008 at 6:46 am · Filed under News

A Pennsylvania Game Commission proposal to ban nanday conure parrots is raising a squawk in Harrisburg.

Bird fanciers say it’s unfair to single out the green South American birds. “If they can justify banning the nanday,” said Chet Fuhrman of Columbia, “then they can justify banning any pet bird species.”

Numerous parrot lovers are expected to converge on Game Commission headquarters, 2001 Elmerton Ave., at 1 p.m. today during a session to gather public input.

But PGC spokesman Jerry Feaser said people are blowing the issue out of proportion.

Rumors aside, Feaser said, the commission has no plan to confiscate birds.

“A lot of this is based on the false assumption that there would be a roundup and euthanization of these animals. That is not part of this proposal.”

Nor is the suggested change much of a change, he said.

Prohibitions against the possession, importation, release and sale of “captive bred” animals from other states or nations have been on the books since 1992. More details here.

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