By Barry and Gayle Schwartz, Maspeth
This letter is in response to the “Parrots invade boro neighborhood” letter in the Sept. 4 edition of TimesLedger Newspapers.
For those who do not know about the wild parrots that live in the city, particularly the Quaker parakeets or Monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) that Tom Ferraris refers to, please visit brooklynparrots.com.
These industrious, gregarious and highly intelligent parrots originate from Argentina and Bolivia. They have been living in various parts of the city since the late 1960s, when a shipment of the Quaker variety caught in the wild escaped from John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Colonies of the Quaker variety now reside in Midwood, Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst and Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn; Throgs Neck, Pelham Bay Park and City Island in the Bronx; and Whitestone, Little Neck and Bayside in Queens. They have also been reported in Staten Island. There are also colonies in the Edgewater, N.J., area and southwestern Connecticut.
These hearty birds came from cooler climates in Argentina and have adapted to the city. They do not migrate and are here to stay.
The best thing to do is understand, observe and study them. Yes, they are noisy, but at the same time fascinating.
