Whether by escape or release, parrots and various other bird species popular in the pet trade have been entering into the wilderness of the United States for decades. A team of researchers used two different databases to track the number of parrot species spotted. 56 unique species were spotted across 43 different states, 25 of which are currently breeding in 23 states. The United States no longer has native parrot populations, the thick-billed parrot, whose range once extended into the southwest U.S., has had its territory condensed until it remained exclusively in Mexico, while the Carolina parakeet went extinct in 1918.
Despite being nonnative, many of the parrot species have thrived once a breeding population could be established, the most common being Monk parakeets, Red-crowned Amazons, and Nanday parakeets. In fact, there are now more Red-crowned Amazons in the state of California alone than their native Mexico. In the ultimate irony, the Red-crowned Amazon as a species may be saved from extinction thanks to the very same pet trade and irresponsible owners who helped to endanger its survival in the first place, as conservationists determine which of the the populations is the better choice to focus their support to ensure the species has a future.
Read more: http://rsci.nl/5jm
Image: Jennifer Uehling
