Communities of escaped or released feral cockatoos exist in China and Hong Kong. This is the Yellow-Crested Cockatoo ( Cacatua sulphurea), native to Indonesia and East Timor. This is not one we see flying around Austin, but one just as noticeable and loved as the Monk Parakeet. There is another example of a pet bird with a somewhat similar story as that of the Monk Parakeets. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Yellow-Crested Cockatoo (Photo: Charles Lam. Beyond this, more research needs to be done to establish what other environmental damage, if any, Monk Parakeets have caused. The nests can also catch fire because of their proximity to wires. The damage they do is to electrical lines and utility poles which can cause power outages. However, they have not yet been observed to do what was feared. ![]() Initial worry about Monk Parakeets being invasive was that they could become an agriculture pest. This attentive treatment of the Monk Parakeet is followed in other parts of the country, with states like New Jersey and New York proposing laws to protect the bird. When nests are displaced, Austin Energy follows strict protocol to avoid harming the birds, chicks, or eggs. UT’s intramural fields had several nests in the field light towers before the lights were replaced, displacing the nests. These nests are massive creations, weighing up to 400 pounds, high up in cell phone towers and utility poles. Monk Parakeets survive cold weather by building large elaborate nests where several mating pairs live. Some of these cities include New Orleans, Portland, Miami, and even Chicago! The fact that many Austin populations of the Monk Parakeet survived the historic 2021 winter storm Uri attests to their remarkable tolerance to weather extremes. Monk Parakeets are very hardy and can survive a wide temperature range, allowing them to adapt to many different US cities. However, as it’s next to impossible to know who might have released these birds, their entry to Austin still remains unknown. ![]() ![]() He speculates 19 monk parakeets were intentionally released in the 1980s near Zilker Park, and the current population descends from that colony. Cliff Shackelford, an ornithologist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, started monitoring the birds in Austin in the late 1990s. The Monk Parakeet was introduced to the US in the 1950s and 1960s from South America through the exotic pet trade. There is even a mural here in Austin honoring the bird. Plenty of articles on this bird exist, probably due in no small part to its prevalence across the US, as well as its charm. The beloved Monk Parakeet ( Myiopsitta monachus), sometimes also called “Monk Parrot” or “Quaker Parakeet,” chattering away on power lines and cell phone towers. You’ve probably seen an invasive pet bird here in Austin. But like many pets that end up in the wild, either through accident or on purpose, some pet birds become invasive. My own parakeets, Ernesto and Clyde, never fail to amuse with their head bobbing and love of stick-chewing. Monk Parakeet (Photo: Bernard Dupont- Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license)īirds are another beloved pet, adored for their plumage, their song, and for their interesting behavior.
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