Specifically the Rosy-Faced LovebirdRosy-faced Lovebird

which are actually native to Africa, but apparently enough got out through the pet trade that we now have a stable population of them |D

irresponsible pet owners

hope they aren't in danger from the stray cats

No more than every other bird

They've apparently been around since the '80s

I'm more surprised that the predatory birds haven't just eaten them all already, since they sure as hell can't camouflage with anything down here

do they hide in the urban areas?

They're predictable in that they love nesting in the tops of palm trees, so wherever those and water can be found, they probably won't be far away

sounds like parks would be ideal, and I bet they have less fear of human areas than predatory birds

Confusingly, apparently our population is both

1. Technically one of the very few instances of a non-native parrot species being introduced to the wild and becoming feral that descends from captive parrots

2. The only time this parrot has escaped and actually thrived where it doesn't belong

Like even when they escape captivity in Africa, they usually end up dying off, this is the one time they've actually formed a thriving colony

That's pretty cool if sad because enough people bought the parrots and didn't bother to keep them.

and it's on the wrong side of the planet (and the equator, given they're native to the southwest Africa specifically)

Bugly42: From what I can find so far, current speculation is that the establishing population was a mix of escapees and well-intentioned (if ill-advised) releases

humans colonized Phoenix just for these picky parrots' benefit. it all makes sense now

But given the average phoenixian's love of water-hogging plants and non-native species, it's not exactly that strange, is it?

Either way, apparently as soon as they were on their own they took one look at the Arizona desert and thought "huh, nice"

I think the thick-billed parrot's range used to extend that far north, but not really sure.

Also you'd think it was the exotic plants they liked (which, to be fair, they do), but bizarrely they seem just as fond of local plants

They've taken a liking to eating seed pods from palo verde and mesquite, fruit from cacti, etc.

also apples, when they can get them

Given the intelligence and resourcefulness of parrots, it's not a surprise they've tested out and shared knowledge of local foods.

I wonder if there are any good comparisons of their "culture" in comparison to the natively wild ones in African populations.

Probably not since they're not very well studied

The first time the feral birds were properly studied and a population estimate was published, at least that I could find so far, was from 2011.

All they had to go on from before was just a knowledge that they'd been here a while, their range was expanding, and sightings were getting more common

But even then they estimated there were about 2500 in the Phoenix area

at least based on what parts of their confirmed territory they were able to survey, and how many birds they actually managed to see

It would be interesting to find out. Especially since they're now so many generations removed from true wild and in a completely alien territory.

(which was their own disclaimer in the study, so I have to believe they were convinced it wasn't just likely but probable that the population was even larger)

Good nature vs. nurture exploration in a more intelligent species.

https://arizonabirds.org...
This is the one in question if you wanna give it a read. It's pretty short, but still has more info than the average result so far.

Worth the read for the pictures alone, the birbs are adorable

I wanna give them lots of kisses

(and some seeds)

maybe the cacti do provide camouflage coloring

Apparently every so often they show up down there in Tucson (at least according to Arizona redditors), though I haven't heard of there being an established population of any size down there yet.

seriously they could only look more out of place if they actually started wearing disguises

they are too colorful and soft and sweet looking to fit in with the rest of the critters actually native to America's dedicated Australia cosplay

and yet that other one found a house that looked like him

minus the spikes

I would not be horribly surprised to see them at Reid Park. There's a resident CORMERANT there.

The cormorant is disabled and was probably blown in.

that makes its presence make a lot more sense, yeah

(its continued presence, at least, since apparently we're in their migration path)

We sometimes get storm-tossed seabirds, too.

(so you can see them passing by, they just don't normally stick around)

The zoo vets apparently try to at least get eyes on them now and then, although they don't really do any care.

But when you know there's a flightless shorebird in your neck of the woods, you might as well make sure they look like they're getting enough to eat.

yup

So you now have something really fun to try to be on the lookout for.

Funnily enough that's also the same mindset behind why it was once illegal to shoot camels in Arizona (I mean, it's still illegal, it's just not it's own specific law applying to camels like the clickbait mentions of it say)

We got some of the herds that the Army circled around between Texas and California back in the 1800s, but since it meant there was a non-zero chance if you saw a camel roaming around it was an escapee from either a mining company or the government we REALLY wanted to make it clear they weren't for hunting

(the actual law was reportedly struck during revisions made in 1901, so it's been loooooong gone)

The last of the Grand Canyon camel trains actually were retired down here to Tucson. I used to have to drive past them on the way to school.

It was always weird when you were driving past all the horses stabled along the Rillito and then suddenly this one fenced in pasture had camels.

The Dude (as Husboose and I refer to the disabled cormorant in Reid park) was doing well when we visited out there. Dude's pretty old now. So yeah, birds can survive in weird situations. And he gets to hang with other cormorants when they migrate through so at least he has that.