The Plight of Florida’s Wild Parrots

Abstract

A Herald reporter was interviewing me for an article about Miami’s wild blue and gold macaw flock when she asked, “How could I be a wild parrot advocate and conservationist and still justify keeping macaws as pets?” I replied, “Come watch.” I brought my fully flighted pet macaws outside with the wild blue and yellow macaws roosting in the palms. When the wild macaws flew away, my pet macaws stayed. I explained, “Pet macaws choose to be pets, and wild macaws deserve to fly free.” Hand raised birds will stay in their back yard just as your pet dog stays around his/her house because he/she loves her/his owner and home. I then asked the reporter not to include free flight into the article as Hillary Hanky’s lecture will teach us; free flight requires training and experience. I went on to add my observation that escaped parrots do not survive long in the wild, similarly to dogs abandoned by the side of the road. Of the 36 wild macaws photographed by the ornithologist Bill Pranty, only two were banded and these two were each mated to a wild macaw. Unfortunately, a banded military and scarlet were observed flying with the wild flock for less than a season.

The Herald reporter’s lack of knowledge brings up a legitimate important concern, parrot lovers have often asked me, “Will making an exception to the non-native law for wild parrots, make me at risk of being arrested if my pet bird escapes?” The answer is absolutely not. While it is true, poachers often tell concerned bystanders that they have been “hired” to shoot down non native macaws with net guns (that often break the macaw’s feet when they plummet to the ground), an owner can show concerned bystanders a picture of their pet (or the band number) since each parrot has distinguishing characteristics. In the case of macaws, their facial feather lines are like fingerprints. I have included in this article a side by side comparison of the wild macaws in my palm trees compared to a wild macaw being sold in a disreputable pet shop in Homestead, FL. Responsible bird owners should have good photographs of their birds and/or their band information. Right now, it is perfectly legal to trap; capture and even kill wild parrots. This is a direct quote in the Miami Herald...

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