NYC Wild Parrots Bid Farewell to Snow

Wild parrots in the Bronx march past the last remains of what will likely be New York's last snowfall of the season.

Many of us wouldn't expect wild parrots in New York to like snow much, but they do. True, too much snow makes life very difficult for them, especially when a heavy coat makes their foraging grounds inaccessible. When this happens, they have rely upon leaf buds and the occasional backyard bird feeder to survive. But just a little snow is great, and our Parrot Paparazzi caught up with the Pelham Bay Parrots, when the last traces of what will likely be New York's last snowfall of the season had almost disappeared.

Why do these parrots like the snow? Well, it's a ready source of relatively pure water, and when it melts, puddles for bathing are formed. Even during the coldest months, these parrots prefer to stay clean, and it doesn't matter how cold the bathwater is!


These two wild parrots enjoy exploring the receding urban snowdrifts. It almost looks like they're on skis!


Like all urban birds, the wild parrots in NYC take real chances with their lives should they ever be foolish enough to drink from dirty, polluted puddles, which can contain toxic lead, benzine, and other killing chemicals created by automobiles. Fortunately, these birds generally stay away from such hazards. While water from melted snow in the Bronx may not be as pure as Artesian well water, it's healthy enough for these tough urban parrots.


Now THAT's a good tasting pile of snow!


The water from melted snow creates cool, relatively pure puddles. Here a Bronx parrot comes down to get a cool drink from a snow puddle.