Parrot in my Backyard

[zippy]

Hi! I hope it is OK to post here. I don't own a parrot, but one has been visiting my back yard for about a week now. I have a seed pile for my backyard birds and a peanut pile for my squirrels. I live in Virginia so this is definitely out of the norm. I don't know what kind of parrot he/she is, but my best description is medium sized, green head, back, wings, a lighter color (beige?) underneath, and a sorta blush colored beak. I went out once when he/she was on my chair to see if he would come to me. He was fine when I first walked out, but when I tried to get closer he flew off and squawked at me. Lol! The other birds seem fine with him, it's just bizarre to see him/her at the seed pile with sparrows, doves, and cardinals. I asked all the neighbors, and none of them are missing a parrot. Not sure what I should do besides putting up posters. What I was wondering is if there is something else I should put out for him/her to eat? Is there something the parrot needs he/she can't get here (we have both a backyard and a wooded acre behind it) that I should get? Is there a way to make friends with the parrot? I'm sorry this is so long winded. I get a lot of interesting animals in my yard, but a parrot takes the cake! Any and all help is appreciated!

[Wolf]

Just curious as to where in Virginia that you live. I live in the northern part of North Carolina and am curious to know if I am close enough to help with this myself.

[zippy]

No, I'm just outside DC.

[Wolf]

Is there a local radio station available that you could get to ask if anyone has lost a parrot on air?
If so I would withhold the description of the part and have the describe the parrot to you before giving any more information out.
Try asking animal control if they handle birds or if there is an avian rescue nearby that you could contact. Another possibility would be to try and find an avian vets office and ask if someone has reported a parrot missing.
This is important stuff as a parrot won't survive very long in this situation, and I at least want to thank you for trying to find its home. I hope that this will help.

[Wolf]

Just a thought but you could also check with the local police and the sherrifs office to find out if someone has reported a missing bird.
Also pet stores may have been informed about a missing bird. See if there are any bird clubs in your area, the pet store would be a good resource for finding this out, at least I think they would be.

[zippy]

Thanks everyone! I'll try my best at all of your suggestions!

[Pajarita]

Yes, asking around is very important but getting the parrot in is even more so, please, put out a cage (if you don't have one, see if you can borrow one) with the door open and a perch both inside and outside the cage (if you can fit one on the door itself would be wonderful) with seeds and a couple of peanuts on a paper plate put at the bottom of the cage so the bird can see them from the air. Remove all other food (the seeds and peanuts for the birds and squirrels) so there is no other source of food around. And, please, put some water out. Parrots usually die of dehydration before they can die of starvation when they get lost.

PS The parrot you describe sounds like a quaker parrot (aka monk parakeet) - see here:http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=quaker+parrot+pictures&qpvt=quaker+parrot+pictures&FORM=IGRE

[Wolf]

If it is a Quaker parrot look to see if you can see a band on its leg. In VA. all Quaker Parrots must be close banded to be legal. If it does not have a band then it is likely to be wild and I would leave it alone.

[zippy]

Hi again! Your all amazing! He/she is a Quaker parrot! She/he looks just like the pics of them on Google! And no, there is no band. How does a wild parrot come to live in my yard near DC? Did he/she escape from the airport, or a breeder, or just an owner who didn't band him/her and he/she got out? And could he/she have flown from farther away? Sometimes we can hear him/her out in the back 40 squawking up a storm! He/she loves climbing up and down one of our patio chairs which is metal with a sorta mesh backing he/she uses to climb to the top of the chair. I put out water, but is there some other kind of food I should put out for him/her? Like fruits or veggies? I wanna make sure he/she stays healthy! Thank you all so much for your help!

[Wolf]

If there is no band then it is a wild bird. At some point a Quaker or even a pair of them escaped captivity and survived. So it is possible that there is a colony of them in the area. They are one of the few species of parrot to successfully return to the wild.
If you turn it in then the state of VA will hunt it down and kill it. You have somehow been blessed with the sight of a wild parrot in you area. At one time the area that you live in had a native species of parrot until people hunted it to extinction for their feathers. This species could stand a chance of filling that vacancy.