Polly, It's COLD Outside!

How do parrots from South America manage to survive New York's frigid winters? Well, contrary to popular misconception, these parrots aren't tropical. They're quite used to winters, albiet their normal winters happen at different times of the year. Still, as anyone who's tried to weather a winter in The Big Apple knows, New York weather can be brutal, and we've seen temperatures dip into the low 20's in the last few days. So what's their secret to staying warm?

First, their bodies are equipped with very fine, multi-layered insulating down, which keeps them toastier than parrots that originate in the jungle. And, of course, these wild parrots have their sturdy, well-insulated nests to hunker down in. But they don't spend all day hunkering: many hours each day are spent foraging, gathering construction materials, flying around, yelling at the locals, and socializing.

One heat-saving method the parrots practice is the fine art of group huddling. When perching, which exposes them to the wind, ice, and rain, you'll often see these parrots packed together in two's and threes with feathers puffed, which lets them share body heat and provide a wind buffer for each other. Seeing two parrots huddling together means you're looking at a guy and a gal: seeing three huddling together means you're looking at a little family such as this one.

So which one is Mom, which one is Dad, and which one is Junior? Well, it's almost impossible to tell: these parrots have a standard dress (feather?) code that defies identification by gender and age. Only by watching this threesome for a while could I deduce from these birds' behavior that Junior is on the right side, sharing buffer duties with Dad to keep Mom warm against the biting wind. Good work, Kid!