Talk squawk
WHITTIER - Parrots are multiplying like rabbits, according to residents and bird watchers.
Flocks of the birds are turning up in Uptown Whittier, and their numbers are increasing where they are already known to congregate.
“They’re reproducing,” Whittier Audubon Society member Larry Schmahl said. “They’re showing up all over the place.”
The feral parrots have been sighted near Greenleaf and Mar Vista, spending daylight hours in trees full of fall fruit and seeds. Numbers are also up in Sorensen Park and the surrounding area, according to park workers and nearby residents.
The parrots, descendants of non-native birds that escaped from owners or were turned loose, are especially common in Temple City and Arcadia but can be found throughout Southern California.
The population, mostly red crowned parrots native to northeast Mexico, has thrived because the birds have few predators in the city. They feed on seeds and fruit from tropical plants used in urban landscaping.
No one is certain of the total parrot population in the Whittier area, but those who see the birds often say there are more and more over the past few months.
“I have lived in the area for some time, and yes they have gotten bigger,” said Veronica Estrada, recreation leader for Sorensen Park.
Estrada said the flock she often sees flying through the park used to have just a few members, but now she sees 25 or 30 in the group.
Typical flocks can include 50 birds or more. The groups roost in trees with natural cavities in spring, while they raise young, but can live in any leafy tree without the burden of hatchlings.
Kimball Garret, ornithologist and bird collections manager for the Los Angeles Natural History Museum, said the population around the region is growing, and residents may be noticing changes because the birds tend to move during the fall.
According to Garrett, parrots prefer dense foliage in the trees they choose to roost. During the spring and summer, they often choose deciduous trees, but as those lose their leaves in the fall, the flocks fly to evergreen aviaries.
“You have to tease apart real population increases with simple shifts in the areas that they’re occupying,” Garrett said. “I think what people are seeing is both a real increase in population and seasonal shifts in where they spend their time.”
Audubon Society member , a 30-year Whittier resident, said the magnolia trees in her yard attract the birds.
“They consistently show up in our area this time of year,” Jimenez said. “I think it’s kind of cool.”
Jimenez said the birds are enjoyable, but can be very loud.
“Before you ever see them, you usually hear them,” she said.
Juan Viramontes said he has lived on Rose Hedge Drive, across the street from Sorensen Park, for 30 years. A nature lover, he keeps a parakeet that sits in a cage on the front porch each morning and sings to other birds, including the parrots.
“We had over here in my back yard 150 (parrots),” Viramontes said. “More than 150. It was amazing.”
Viramontes said the birds eat fruit from a small tree in his back yard and leave to roost elsewhere at night. The flock is loud, but Viramontes said their presence makes the neighborhood feel tropical.
“They like it here,” Viramontes said. “Sometimes the animals, I think they can tell if you like them or not.”