City Parrots

The Daily Times By Stephen Keller

A local restaurant recently began hosting a pair of unexpected patrons.

About three months ago, two light green parrots moved into the palm tree in front of the Acapulco Mexican Restaurant on Sidney Baker Street. The couple’s tree-side suite comes complete with shade and a prime view of the drive-thru.

“Its pretty unique,” said David Cockrill, general manager and part-owner. “It looks like a big, much sturdier hornet’s nest.”

The restaurant planted the palm trees when it moved to the location 25 years ago, but Cockrill said these are the first parrot tenants.

“I think its probably the palm tree,” he said. “He found it and said, ‘Hey, its home.’”

Acapulco employee Alfredo Jimenez discovered the pair while outside cleaning.

“Probably now there’s little babies,” he said. “You’d need a big ladder or something to go check it out.”

Jimenez sees the parrots almost daily and remains the only person to hear their call.

“Sometimes one goes flying to find more sticks to make the nest bigger,” he said. “It’s finished now.”

Cockrill said he encouraged the parrots to speak without success.

“I just know they’re not hearing me too well,” he said. “I think I got a couple stares.”

Cockrill said he believes the birds escaped from a home or pet store. Harry Noyes, president of the Bexar Audobon Society, said a few species of wild parrots once lived in the U.S., but the two are most likely former pets.

Noyes did not know what the feral parrots eat.

“Some of them may still be dependent on human feeding even though they fly free,” he said. “I’m not sure what the ferals eat otherwise, but wild parrots in general eat fruit, nuts and seeds.”

Cockrill speculated why the parrots chose to set up near the restaurant.

“They like the food; that’s why they’re staying,” he said.