Feathery Friday: monk parakeets of Hyde Park and beyond

A monk parakeet sitting pretty on a branch

 Monk parakeets (also known as Quaker Parrots or gray-headed parrots) are native to South America where they can be found in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia.  They are the only parrots in the world that build complex stick nests and live in them all year.   Self-sustaining populations have been recorded in many cities in the US as well as in Europe, Israel, some islands in the Carribean and even in Japan.  In Chicago, free flying monk parakeets got their start  in Hyde Park back in 1973 and has survived Chicago's harsh winters.  They were probably escapees from pet stores or residences.

A monk parakeet nest

The best location to see these incredible birds in Chicago is in the Harold Washington Park on Lake Shore Drive and 53rd St. You can't mistake their squawks and screeches while they're flying from tree to tree.  They have also been seen in Addison, Berwyn, Blue Island, Bridgeview, Burbank, Burnham, Calumet City, Calumet Park, Dolton, Elmhurst, Evergreen Park, Hammond, Hickory Hills, LaGrange, Lansing, Midlothian, Richmond, and Skokie.

Here is another picture of a monk parrot from my flickr buddy, happy-peasant  (Steve Spitzer) taken at the North Shore Channel in Skokie:

More pictures of Monk Parakeets on flickr