Anyone shot any photos of these guys yet?

[jasonp]

I was at Chik-fil-a at 1604 @ 281 the other day in the drive through. I kept hearing some odd sounding birds. Well, I looked up and see a bunch of nests inside the Wal Mart sign. A closer look (without bino's or a long lens) I see a bunch of parrots! Very odd; just never seen them in the wild. So who's gonna be the first to post photos of them? First one gets an "attboy/attagirl" :)
I live about 1.5 hours from there so I'll have to wait till the next time I go back.
JP

[PhotoByMark]

That's interesting. Are they colorful?

[ldelacruz]

Are they parrots or parakeets? Texas has parakeets.

[jasonp]

Medium sized Green and yellow parrot is what I saw. Someone told me that they are probably quaker parrots...quien sabe..I'll see if I can get a picture soon :)

[ldelacruz]

Quaker Parrot
http://www.gotpetsonline.com/picture...arrot-0040.jpg

Parakeet
http://www.amcostarica.com/parakeet071707.jpg

ldelacruz added 3 Minutes and 10 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

It is a parakeet. They are sometimes called quaker parrots.

Welcome to the Quaker Parakeet FAQ. The purpose of this document is to introduce you to the charming, lovable little parrot called the Quaker Parakeet, also often referred to as the Quaker Parrot.

[jasonp]

Yep, it was a quaker parrot then. They looked just like that. I just looked it up as well. It seems they were sighted here where I live too not too long ago in Uvalde. It seems the term parrot and parakeet are used interchangeably with these guys. Monk Parakeet or Quaker Parrot. The are lots bigger than the parakeets that you see in the pet stores and ALLOT louder.

[ldelacruz]

I am no expert but I knew Texas had parakeets and to find a group of actual parrots living in the wild in Texas would be rare. I think most parrots have their wings clipped when captive?

[jasonp]

I actually saw a few huge red parrots in Brownsvillea few years so. I thought they were normal until I got home and found out that they were not native.

[ChristopherCoy]

Quaker Parrots, also sometimes called 'Monk Parrots', are very common in Texas, and areas like Texas. They were, and are often still considered nuisances to farmers and crops. If I remember correctly they were introduced to America in the early 1900's from the Caribbean or South America or somewhere like that.

They will build 'community nests' which will often be occupied by hundreds of birds. They like to build them on high, solitary structures like water towers, stadium lights, and of course Wal Mart signs. I've seen them here in Fort Worth, particularly around the stadium lights of high school football fields.

Quaker Parrots are great pets and if I am not mistaken, thought to have one of the best vocabulary's of the parrot world, second only to the African Gray. They are found in the wild in the typical green/gray coloring, but can also be found in solid yellow, blue, and 'cinnamon' mutations when bred in captivity.

ETA: I used to own one. Hand raised him from a hatchling...

[jasonp]

Originally Posted by ChristopherCoy

Quaker Parrots, also sometimes called 'Monk Parrots', are very common in Texas, and areas like Texas. They were, and are often still considered nuisances to farmers and crops. If I remember correctly they were introduced to America in the early 1900's from the Caribbean or South America or somewhere like that.

They will build 'community nests' which will often be occupied by hundreds of birds. They like to build them on high, solitary structures like water towers, stadium lights, and of course Wal Mart signs. I've seen them here in Fort Worth, particularly around the stadium lights of high school football fields.

Quaker Parrots are great pets and if I am not mistaken, thought to have one of the best vocabulary's of the parrot world, second only to the African Gray. They are found in the wild in the typical green/gray coloring, but can also be found in solid yellow, blue, and 'cinnamon' mutations when bred in captivity.

ETA: I used to own one. Hand raised him from a hatchling...

Interesting..maybe if I see one here in S. Texas, I'll snatch one up :)

[pcdeatherage]

before Ike, there has been a lot of quakers throughout Kemah, Bacliff, and San Leon...first time we noticed them was around 1999 in Kemah...now that you mention it, on our last couple of drives over to see if Top Water has reopened...haven't noticed the birds...maybe they relocated to Uvalde...

[Hanky]

If one gets tired of house wrens then they do make for a nice color change.
I'm always scopin cell towers for their nest and you will know when you spot a location.

[ipo]

nope...