By Mary O’KEEFE

Anyone who lives in Los Angeles County for any length of time is familiar with the sounds of our tropical parrots. These flocks of green parrots are heard from Temple City to La Crescenta … and beyond. To be honest, they are loud – and at times loud really early in the morning – but for me their conversations are comforting. It is nice to hear nature loud and unafraid and I love it when my grandson says, “The parrots are here!”

But there are some who do not enjoy these wild parrots and in recent months someone, or more than one person, began shooting these birds. Some birds were wounded, many died. 

I first heard about this on a great Instagram/podcast “LA In A Minute.” Let me just plug this podcast. 

There is a lot of negative stuff said about LA. I am always surprised at what a love/hate relationship those in LA have about their city. Granted, we live in the suburb of LA or the balcony of LA as some would say, but to be honest most of us use “LA” as a shortcut when telling people where we live. 

To quote Randy Newman, “I Love LA.” I have lived in a variety of places – from Beverly Hills to Hollywood – and now in CV. I worked in downtown LA for years and yes there is a lot to be cautious about in the area but there is also a lot to really love about this city. 

So back to “LA In A Minute.” 

Host Evan Lovett brings to life the city’s history and unique qualities. He has a way of making everything sound like this great discovery – even when it’s not so flattering to LA. If you haven’t heard his podcast it’s worth a listen. 

Lovett spoke about the parrots being injured and killed. I then called Pasadena Humane Society and the people there were well aware of the issue but had only had one parrot brought to them; unfortunately, it did not survive the shooting. They had heard about more being shot. I asked if the shooting appeared to be from a BB gun and Kevin McManus, PHS spokesman, said the wound he saw appeared to be made by something larger than a BB. 

According to reports, including “LA in A Minute,” several of the parrots were taken to Cleo Watts at Cleo’s Critter Care/Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation in Pasadena. In fact 16 parrots were brought to the rehab facility; of those, only two survived. (I attempted to contact Watts but she did not respond.)

The wounded birds have been found in Temple City, South Pasadena and Pasadena. Their wounds include multiple shots, broken legs, missing wings and head trauma. 

McManus said it appears the shootings have stopped; however, there is no information as to who was doing this.
I have stated before I am from the midwest and from a family of hunters. I understand hunting but that is not what this is – this is just cruelty, plain and simple. These shootings are being done by a person (or people) who has no respect for life. The fact that these birds make noise is part of what makes LA so different than other cities; we coexist with wildlife. When I lived in Hollywood we had raccoons and opossums in our garage and every bird imaginable in our backyard garden. It goes against everything people think of when defining an “asphalt jungle.”

There are all kinds of myths as to why the parrots are here from pet stores that burned down to the closing of Busch Gardens. 

The National Geographic wrote an article titled, “How these parrots went from the tropical jungle to the concrete jungle” published on Dec. 13, 2023.

“Like most good Hollywood stories, the origin of Los Angeles’ thriving wild parrot population is debated and shrouded in myth. Some trace it back to the closure of Busch Gardens Van Nuys in the 1970s, which could have resulted in the release of captive birds into the city environment. There are also unconfirmed stories of mass parrot releases during the 1992 riots, as well as tales of parrots being freed during a fire at a pet store in Pasadena in the 1990s,” according to the National Geographic.

Jaimie Gilardi, executive director of “World Parrot Trust,” was quoted in the article as saying, “My guess is there’s probably a kernel of truth in most of those stories.”

One thing is for certain: the parrots did not fly here on their own. No extant species of parrot has lived in the continental U.S. since the native Carolina Parakeet went extinct over 100 years ago. The pet trade in one form or another brought the birds to LA, according to the article.

These parrots are not native and are not considered invasive by the state. 

I understand these parrots are a bit loud but it is so amazing to see their beautiful green wings fly toward the trees. They seem so happy to be with each other … and they do love LA.

“They are raucous,” McManus said, “but aren’t we blessed to live a in a world with this population of really cool parrots?” 

Anyone who may have found an injured parrot should report it to the Pasadena Humane Society, (626) 792-7151. You can also take the parrot into the facility, which is located at 361 S. Raymond Ave.

We are looking at picture-perfect weather for the coming week. Today will see highs in the upper 70s, then mid-to-low 70s for the next few days. By Tuesday there is a chance of rain – 30% – and we will be a little cooler with a high of 68 degrees, according to NOAA.