LOOK WHO’S SQUAWKING: GETTING TO KNOW THE PARROTS OF LONG BEACH

By Sarah Teran

Photos by Craig Van Sickle

“Look, up in the sky! It's a bird…”

AAAWWWKKK CHIRRUPP SKREEE!! 

It’s green, it’s loud, and it probably woke you up at sunrise with 40 of its closest friends. Here’s what people have to say about our winged neighbors:

“Ugh, they’re so obnoxious.”

“They’re so pretty! I love them!” (Are you new in town?)

“Wild parrots are native to Long Beach??” (They aren’t.)

“I didn’t even know we had parrots.” (How is this possible?)

Like it or not, the wild parrots are unofficial mascots of Long Beach. Harmony begins with understanding, so in the spirit of peaceful coexistence, here are some basic facts about our feathered frenemies.

Landing In Long Beach

How did the parrots get here? Were they stowaways in tropical fruit shipments? Were they released from a burning pet shop? According to the California Parrot Project, wild-caught parrots were first imported in the 1960s-1980s as exotic pets. Polly on your drainpipe could be the descendant of a bird who escaped in the days of disco!

The Parrot Profile

These green tropical transplants look alike, but there are actually over a dozen species of parrots in Southern California! The most common parrot in Long Beach is the South American mitred parakeet from the eastern Andes mountains. They have red on the front of their crowns and around their eyes, long tails, and are larger than other parakeets. But the easiest way to identify a mitred parakeet is by its call. If it’s shrill, high-pitched, or just plain soul-piercing, it’s probably a mitred. 

A Parrot Paradise In The 908

Instead of the woodland trees and rock faces of the Andes, the parrots do their nest surfing in traffic signals and open air vents. But they are right at home with our warm weather, plentiful food resources, and zero predatory snakes and monkeys! Catch them flocking in palm trees in Belmont Shore, especially on Ocean Blvd. They’ll also be in eucalyptus trees near Bixby Park and CSULB. Or, just keep an ear open (and look up) at dusk or dawn and there’s a decent chance you’ll catch a glimpse of green in the sky!

Wild parrots are permanently-perched here in the 908. And even if you consider them invasive, the good news is they aren’t competing with native birds or harming the ecosystem. (Coexistence IS possible!) More good news: you can throw away your alarm clock!