They're Baaaaacck!

One of the curiosities of living in Southern California is the climate is nice enough that many non-native species can call it home.  This might not be good for native species but in this case, it appears as if these Red Crowned Parrots have found a niche in our ecosystem without disturbing the native species.

These parrots, or more likely, their descendants have escaped from private hands over the years.  No one really seems to be sure when they first appeared in the Southern California area, but they've been here for at least 50 years. Based upon several websites I looked up while writing this, there appears to be several flocks.  I think that these probably came from Pasadena, about 20 minutes to the west of here.  They've been here a couple of times in the past and I'm sure they'll reappear sometime in the future.  As far as I'm concerned, I hope they don't permanently roost here.  They're very noisy.

Sadly, because of the caged bird industry, these birds are endangered in their native areas of northeast Mexico. Ironically, these birds, the product of the caged bird industry, are actually helping keep the genetic diversity of the species.  And because we, as humans, have imported so many non-native plant species where ever we go, these birds are also not competing with native species for fruit and nuts, so they not called an invasive species.  

How many birds can you see in this photo?  There were upwards of 40 birds in this flock that flew over our house late Friday afternoon.

Sources:
The Concrete Jungle
The California Parrot Project
10,000 Birds
The Wild Parrots in Whittier, California