Tuesday, September 1, 2026

In search of a monk parakeet

Photos by Steven 

Several local birdwatchers received a tip earlier last week about a monk parakeet in Tompkins Square Park. 

The search party found the bird late in the afternoon near the chess tables. It later perched on a light pole at Avenue A and Sixth Street, where this photo was taken.
This isn't believed to be an escaped pet. Monk parakeets have established wild colonies around New York City, including a well-known group living in the Gothic Arch at Green-Wood Cemetery.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hawk's snack?

Katinka. - Jane said...

hope they’re safe but comforting to know they do live outside
can they survive a cold winter?

Scuba Diva said...

There have been colonies of wild monk parakeets since about the 60s, when a shipment of tropical birds escaped. One of the main colonies is in Brooklyn, near the Brooklyn museum: https://brooklynparrots.com/category/wild-parrots-in-brooklyn/

eden bee said...

pretty little thing

Andrew Porter said...

The colonies build their multi-bird nests around transformers, so are quite comfortable.

Anonymous said...

This is good to know! A monk parakeet came up on my Merlin app the other day: At Miracle Garden on third Street between A and B.