Outdoor Parrots

[rando305]

I live in Miami. Years ago, hurricane Andrew blew down the local aviary and there are a number of wild parrots that live in Miami wild. Neighbors up the street feed a flock of peacocks that has to be near 50-100 birds.
I recently started raising chickens free range on my property. I have a large number of fruit trees, oaks and palms on my property. It seems to me that it might be possible to adopt some parrots from owners and make a place for them to sleep at night outside, but other than that let them roam freely.
Has anyone had any experience with parrots completely free? Do they gain a sense of 'home' or will they just fly away?
My decision to free-range my chickens was not the initial plan, but seeing birds in an environment where they are free to fly, run and forage freely is much more fulfilling than seeing them cooped up. I'm curious if something like that would work with parrots.
Thanks for any insights.

[Weka]

Hello Rando --

While the idea of free-flying parrots in your backyard might seem nice, the reality would be VERY different. Most parrots raised as pets don't make it very long in the open -- there are many dangers, including chemical poisoning, disease, and predators like hawks that would tear them to pieces.

Not only that, but you yourself could be fined for releasing any exotic bird, as Florida's laws are quite strict on this:

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/ind ... 9.231.html

379.231 Regulation of nonnative animals.—

(1) It is unlawful to import for sale or use, or to release within this state, any species of the animal kingdom not native to Florida unless authorized by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

(2) A person in violation of this section commits a Level Three violation under s. 379.4015.
History.—s. 1, ch. 70-145; s. 308, ch. 71-136; s. 2, ch. 71-294; s. 2, ch. 80-129; s. 131, ch. 99-245; s. 23, ch. 2006-304; s. 51, ch. 2008-247; s. 1, ch. 2010-185.
Note.—Former s. 372.265.


So as you can see, a well-built outdoor aviary might be a far better option.


Best,

Weka

[rando305]

Weka -
Thank you for your feedback.

My goal is not to 'release parrots into Florida' but to keep parrots in an environment where they have a little more freedom than is typically possible in a colder climate.

My wife's grandparents had a parrot that they kept in the center of their hacienda style home. It was free to leave, but didn't because it knew where home was.

When I began to raise chickens, I had all kinds of worries about our local hawks, but those remained unfounded. My problem was Opossums. The hawks have investigated, but not taken any chickens.

There are parrots all over Miami. Some Macaws as well that are wild.

My thought is to rescue a pair of bigger parrots. Acclimate them to 'home'. And keep them happily roaming but knowing where home is. Is that their nature? The Macaws I see fly around seem to travel for miles. Do they return home?

Thanks for any insights. It is highly likely that my desired result is not a plausible scenario. But my limited experience with parrots is that they are like cats. They roam at will, but know where home is.

[Weka]

Hi again Rando --

In the wild, most parrots move from place to place seasonally, depending on the availabilty of various foods. Some species fly over 50 miles in a day, and have a different roost every night. Being long-lived animals, they don't live entirely by instinct and have to learn from their parents and their flock exactly what foods to eat, and how to extract them.

I would submit that most parrots living in an urban area were raised in the wild. It was only in 1992 that wild-caught parrots were banned, and most of the ones you see flying about could be from that time, have adapted to a new environment, and have raised young of their own. A good example of this can be seen in the documentary, "The Parrots of Telegraph Hill" Link: http://video.pbs.org/video/1640941260/

But now, there are thousands of birds in the pet trade that are NOT truly wild. They were raised by humans. They don't have the life-skill set that would be needed in order to survive. Many of them can't even fly properly, due to their wings being clipped when they were learning to fly and/or their muscles aren't strong enough for sustained flight due to inactivity.

Even though the idea may tug at your heart, please re-consider the idea of letting rescue parrots "roam free". If you released them, even with the best intentions, they would most likely meet with harm and/or never come back. The best thing is for them to be taken into a loving, patient home where they can be respected as beings that are neither tame nor wild -- but worthy of care, nonetheless.


Best,

Weka

[Harpmaker]

Hi Rando!

I'm confused. Are you planning to rescue and release "tame" parrots, or make a comfortable area for the existing feral parrot population and hope to be adopted?

All of the problems covered above seem to be for the first option. If the latter is intended, your neighbors could be polled to see if they have objections. Just as with feral cats, they may not care for the noise and droppings. Feeding feral animals might also make you legally responsible if they attack someone, without any ability to modify their behavior. Local animal control should know if what you want to do is legally different from putting out bird houses and feeders for indigenous birds.

Good luck to you!

[Weka]

Came across an interesting article and thought to share it here: http://cityparrots.org/journal/2007/1/7 ... mbria.html

John Strutt is an Englishman who is doing just what Rando described, but even this person with experience admits that even aviary birds have extreme difficulties adjusting:

(Strutt) has used this system successfully to accustom other pairs of aviary-bred birds for free flight. But it doesn't work every time. "There is such a thing as a non-homing parrot," he says, "They are bad fliers. They have to fly accurately and have controlled flight. If a bird can't turn easily - it can either be genetic or through the environment, it can lose its way home. I tend to believe that not being allowed to fly at the crucial moment - leaving the nest box or the nest is the cause of this. They can't relearn. They MUST be allowed to fly." John calls these parrots 'brain-damaged.' They cannot readjust to freedom.

I'm guessing that the lack of larger predatory birds in the UK makes it somewhat more feasible, but I still say that most rescue birds raised in homes would not do well in such a system, due to not learning to fly properly, etc. (As mentioned, Mr. Strutt's birds mostly come from aviaries and/or are mostly wild-caught). Also, it would seem the exotic animal laws are more relaxed in his part of the world -- at least according to the interview.


--W

[rando305]

Thanks everyone for your comments.

I appreciate the informative feedback. For those concerned - I am not 'planning' to do this. I was just asking about the feasibility of such a pursuit. When I was in Guatemala, the Macaws seemed pretty 'homed'. It made me think that given an environment that becomes 'home' for them might provide a positive environment for birds that others were needing to get rid of.

Thanks again,

Randy

[Weka]

It sounds like you are a caring, thoughtful person, Rando. If only we didn't live in a world where people discarded their pets! (But then, some people even discard their own children. It's hard to be optimistic, sometimes...)


Best wishes for you and your chickens,

Weka