« Another Developer in Distress Christmas Decor for Good Causes »

November 21, 2008

Yes, Virginia, There Are Parrots in South Slope

parrots%20at%20441-1.jpg
Earlier this week, a reader uninitiated into the mystery of the green birds that proliferate South Brooklyn, posted a question about them on the forum. Well, now photographer Mihai Badulescu has snapped some proof: here they are hanging out on 11th Street in the Slope. For more info, you can always check Brooklyn Parrots.




Posted by lisa at 11:00 AM | Comments (26)
Categories: Park Slope

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.brownstoner.com/mte/mt-tb.cgi/7280

Comments

Lisa, 11th Street? That just might be the South Slope. You're in trouble again. Let's get the border wars going. Even the parrots know not to cross 9th Street :-)

Posted by: denton at November 21, 2008 11:09 AM

omg that's awesome. are those parrots always there? (they dont talk do they!?) i so wanna go and teach them some words.

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at November 21, 2008 11:13 AM

Seeing the parrots has been in my Brooklyn to do list for over a year. Perhaps I'll try to find them over the holiday.

Posted by: northsloperenter at November 21, 2008 11:14 AM

ok, ok, south slope. i'll change it!

Posted by: lisa at November 21, 2008 11:15 AM

I lived on 9th St (definitely not South Slope) and the parrots used to visit me there. Here's a photo of them at my bird feeder: http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidminkin/219665368/.

Posted by: dminkin at November 21, 2008 11:19 AM

What do they like to eat? I want them to move to my yard, which is not that far away. Great pick-line! "Whaddaya say? Wanna come over to my house and see my parrots?"

Posted by: altervoce at November 21, 2008 11:20 AM

I love that Brooklyn has parrots, and hope they continue to move northward! I should put some parrot food out on my fire escape.

Posted by: cwbuecheler at November 21, 2008 11:25 AM

Beautiful!! How do they survive winter? Aren't they tropical birds?

Posted by: cmu at November 21, 2008 11:25 AM

altervoce...it'll work. I've got mockingbirds in my yard and I've used that line before. "Have you ever heard a mockingbird?"

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 21, 2008 11:28 AM

Years ago, I saw one of these parrots on 8th Ave. and Montgomery Pl.

Posted by: Bessie at November 21, 2008 11:38 AM

A bunch of the birds live at greenwood cemetary. A tour guide told me the birds escaped from a South American shipment at the airport but they are from the Andes so they can handle the cold. They are a bit noisey so you might not want to invite them to your yard!

Posted by: ebklyn at November 21, 2008 11:43 AM

that is so cool.

Posted by: tiptoe at November 21, 2008 11:53 AM

yeh hello, there is a whole website devoted to the bklyn parrots. Click on "basic info" to get the whole story.

http://www.brooklynparrots.com/

Posted by: bowl of dicks at November 21, 2008 12:05 PM

I have spotted those parrots on my block 8th Street between 3RD AND 4TH

Posted by: Gowanus_Bklyn at November 21, 2008 12:42 PM

that is both beautiful and cool
isn't BK special!

Posted by: BK realestate veteran at November 21, 2008 12:44 PM

We briefly hosted a vacationing group of the parrots here in Flatbush a few years ago; they were more fun than the proverbial barrel of primates. They tumble through the trees yakking it up, and they are the color of pistachios. They tough it out over the winter because, well, these are Brooklyn parrots! Love that picture of the "decorated" parrot tree!

Posted by: Brenda from Flatbush at November 21, 2008 12:58 PM

HA! -it was me who posted earlier this week as I spotted them on 15th street.
It was truly a spectacle to see these vibrant green birds against the stark trees just happily eating their berries
very cool!

Posted by: gemini10 at November 21, 2008 1:00 PM

The birds are unpredictable but we have photos from that place on 11th (between 6th & 7th Avs) w/ the tree in full leaf & also mid-winter bare.

Posted by: Arkady at November 21, 2008 1:03 PM

11th St is South Slope cause the Hawk I saw in the North Slope told me he was going to go south and eat some parrot.SO There silly rabbits.

Posted by: billyboomer at November 21, 2008 1:11 PM

How do I get some for my yard?

Posted by: Petebklyn at November 21, 2008 2:21 PM

We woke up one morning and found a green parrot in our back yard ... here in Clinton Hill! I didn't get a picture but we inquired with some neighbors and another confirmed they have been finding green feathers and have spotted the bird as well. Haven't seen it lately though.

Posted by: werner at November 21, 2008 3:11 PM

The way these birds tough out the Brooklyn winters is by nesting on the Con Ed transformers that are suspended on the utility poles (which throw off heat).

Rumour has it that these birds originated from a crate that was being transported through JFK airport. The crate was dropped, the birds flew out, and here we are: Brooklyn parrots!

Posted by: benson at November 21, 2008 4:03 PM

These parrots are from Argentina. They are not tropical parrots. They survive the winter the way all birds do, they huddle together in a tight space all night for warmth. Snow is a plus and acts like insulation. The biggest colony is on the gothic entrance gates of Greenwood Cemetery. They are tough birds. Perfectly suited for life in the big city where food is plentiful and predators few.


Posted by: Inigo at November 21, 2008 8:44 PM

This is a gorgeous photo that "photographer Mihai Badulescu has snapped".

Posted by: HHBX at November 21, 2008 11:17 PM

A similar troupe lives in Edgewater NJ - I was just as startled when I saw those just hanging around. They are handsome. If you go to the site you can pay the mp3s and drive the cats crazy.

Posted by: Ljubitca at November 22, 2008 9:46 AM

I've seen 4 or 5 in a tree on Greenwood ave. and east 4th street. In the spring though, not lately.

Posted by: richierich at November 22, 2008 11:31 PM

Post a comment

Please be patient while your comment is published. It may take a moment.

Latest Restaurant Additions