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Feral Parrots in the Continental United States and United Kingdom: Past, Present, and Future

2005; Volume: 19; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1647/183

1938-2871

Christopher J. Butler,

Avian ecology and behavior

IntroductionIn many cities across the United States (USA),from Boston to Los Angeles and Seattle to Miami,free-flying parrots and parakeets can now be seen.Likewise, feral parakeets are now present in Eng-land in the Greater London area, on the Isle ofThanet in Kent, and in select cities along the southcoast. In some areas, these feral parrots have beenpresent for decades, whereas in others, parrots haveonly been present for a few years. This paper sum-marizes the historical changes in number and com-position of psittacine birds in the USA and UnitedKingdom (UK).Native parrot speciesThe USA was formerly home to 2 native parrotspecies—the Carolina parakeet ( Conuropsis caroli-nensis) and the thick-billed parrot (Rhynchopsittapachyrhyncha)—both of which disappeared fromthe USA during the 20th century.Carolina parakeets were formerly found through-out the southeastern USA, north to New York andwest to North Dakota, Colorado, and Texas.