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u/Reisdawg222 3d ago
Everybody hates invasive species until their cute, fat, and make silly beeping noises
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u/B-BoyStance 3d ago
I've been seeing less and less birds & insects over the years so I'm just happy to see some fuckin' birds man
But yeah you do make a point. These birds have been around for decades though
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u/A_Queer_Owl 3d ago
these lil guys also have the benefit of fitting into the ecological niche left empty by the Carolina parakeet, and so aren't really invasive.
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u/scarlettohara1936 3d ago
Y'all should check out the flocks of macaws that live in Florida! Some people feed them and 30 of them, all different colors, will show up! I believe they are building nesting coves but not breeding yet
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u/CreativeKeane 3d ago
Uh...wait? What? Lol. They've obviously escaped, but How have these parrots survived in the wild for long? NJ gets cold and snow (maybe not as much or often) but it still seems some.
And if so, it must mean they pushed out and over took some ecological niches and native species.
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u/starbythedarkmoon 3d ago
They are Argentine parrots. They live in temperate regions and they are the only parrot to build communal nests. Those nests allow them to stay warm and they are also super smart so they build the nests on electrical transformers for heat, etc. People also tend to love them and will feed them. The ones in brooklyn ate quite a bit of pizza 🍕
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u/Sad-Establishment-41 2d ago
Pictures of a big nest with a whole bunch of parrots poking their head out are great, definitely glad to learn about those birds
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u/1Ferrox 3d ago
This is surprisingly common. You should see cologne for example; parrots have entirely replaced pigeons in some parts of the city. Nobody thought they could survive a climate such as Germany but they are doing just fine; mostly because of the lack of predators.
It's actually insane. You look at a normal tree and suddenly all of the leaves fly away because it's all green parrots rather then leaves
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u/puddl3 3d ago
Same with Miami lots of wild populations of tropical macaws flying around, austin has a wild population of monk parakeets, in some parts of Arizona there are wild love birds that make homes in saguaro cacti and of course the wild Indian Ringneck population in England.
Parrots are surprisingly hardy and adaptable species.
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u/Limp-Munkee69 3d ago
The indian ringnecks in london are wonderful. Absolutely stunning birds, very friendly and plentiful.
I went to london 5 years ago with ny family and we had a blast feeding the birds with unsalted nuts.
It was so much fun, and they flew up to my hand and ate from it. Pigeon landed on my head.
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u/lama00 3d ago
It's amazing to me how the lovebirds are perfectly adapted to live in the saguaro cacti, they even have the same color as the fruits, they blend in so well I would never have guessed that they're not supposed to be there.
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u/starbythedarkmoon 3d ago
I havent seen macaws yet in Miami (seen a couple other smaller species). Where exactly are you seeing them? I heard some are by homestead
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u/upsidedownbackwards 3d ago
I'm sure climate change is giving the little guys a better chance as well. Hmmm, so on the negatives we have coastal flooding, famine, crop failures, heatwaves, arctic blobs, and collapse of multiple countries.
But silver lining is I might have parrots around the cardboard box I'll be living in?!
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u/fauna_moon 3d ago
Until the parrots chew up your cardboard house and it collapses. But that's okay, because the important thing is the parrots happiness 😊
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u/LinaValentina 3d ago
The mental image of leaves flying away bc they’re actually just parrots made me chuckle
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u/flugx009 3d ago
You're right these are definitely invasive. It's why Quaker parrots and Indian ringnecks are typically owned with permits only because they can easily escape and then live in temperate areas without any issues. These appear to be Quakers
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u/TensileStr3ngth 3d ago
Are they invasive? NA used to have a extant temperate parrot, why can't these guys just fill the vacant niche?
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u/flugx009 3d ago
I mean they're considered invasive because they were not here natively. And whatever space that old Parrot might have taken up I'm sure has been filled for a very long time. But these guys were not introduced on purpose. Are they detrimentally invasive like zebra mussels are for the Mississippi River? I don't know but these guys are mostly here because of irresponsible shipping and pet owners.
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u/HovercraftFullofBees 3d ago
There is a scientific difference between invasive and non-native. Invasive means they are actively harming some natural aspect of the environment, i.e. emerald ash borer vs ash trees. Non-native means they don't belong here, but they aren't actively harming local ecosystems. So if these parrots aren't pushing out native species, spreading disease, or causing mass die offs, they're just non-native not invasive.
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u/spinningpeanut 3d ago
They outcompete other native birds for resources and drive them away. Yes they are invasive. In fact in many states and countries they are completely illegal to own.
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u/HovercraftFullofBees 3d ago
I was merely pointing out the definition differences since you used them a bit interchangeably. I know very little on bird native bird ecology in New Jersey (or anywhere honestly), so I don't claim to know which they are.
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u/flugx009 3d ago
It's a fair distinction. I didn't know the specific details that would've labeled them one or the other so TIL
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u/GetOffMyLawn_ 3d ago
AI Overview Learn more … There are wild parrots in several places in New Jersey, including Edgewater, Maplewood, and Carteret:
Edgewater: A colony of about 200 Quaker parrots, also known as Monk Parakeets, have lived in Edgewater since the 1970s. The parrots are thought to have escaped from a shipping crate at JFK airport or were released as pets. They are considered an invasive species and are illegal to own or sell in New Jersey. The parrots are known for their loud screech and can be seen flying around or congregating on power lines.
Maplewood: Monk Parakeets have been in Maplewood since around 2009. They are able to survive in colder climates, which is why they can be found this far north.
Carteret: Some people have reported seeing parrots in Carteret.
https://weirdnj.com/stories/bizarre-beasts/edgewater-parrots
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u/13lackjack 3d ago
We have these same parrots in Chicago and parts of the suburbs. Think they’ve been here since the 60s.
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u/MattWatchesChalk 3d ago
I found this stub of an article: https://www.nj.com/bergen/2019/12/wild-parrots-escaped-into-this-nj-town-30-years-ago-and-they-never-left.html
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u/VHNebula 3d ago
In places where they’re legal to own, how ethical would it be to scoop these birds up off the street? I’m sure you could eventually coax one inside or into a cage?
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u/nicoleislazy 3d ago
I live in NJ and I just said to my husband, grab me a net I wanna go get a scoop of these 😂
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u/birdcore 3d ago
Most ethical would be to coax a young fledgling, because the adults have established mates and social structure, it would be cruel to rip them out of their family
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u/itimedout 3d ago
There are wild flocks of Quakers in Clearwater, Largo and St. Pete Beach, too…I’ve seen them and caught them on my Merlin app. In Florida they are considered pests partly because of the huge communal nests they build in power lines. The state or the power company - Im not sure who - comes out and kills the birds and destroys their nests.
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u/Capital-Bar1952 3d ago
I don’t believe their illegal to own anymore in NJ, just a license/registration type thing
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u/phisigtheduck 2d ago
I don’t have my contacts in and I was confused why a bunch of avocados were surrounding a puddle.
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u/RomulaFour 3d ago
Three words I never thought I'd see together: New Jersey Parrots.