Breaking News: Wild Conures Sighted in Queens

A wild conure in a Queens cherry tree, April 9, 2006. Photo credit: Kathy Forrestal.

This past Thursday morning, I received email from Queens resident Jackie Forrestal, who reported that several wild parrots appeared in her neighborhood, which is just to the West of St. John's University. The parrots, which show up "like clockwork" each Spring to munch on a cherry tree located at 82-12 166th Street, appear to be mitered conures: very similar to the famous birds featured in the film, Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill.

While the existence of flocks of wild monk parrots in the NYC area is well-documented, practically nothing is known about any flocks of wild conures residing in the city. Unlike monk parrots, these conures do not come from parts of the world where brutal winters are common. How do they survive the winters in New York? Where do they nest (unlike monk parrots, conures do not build protective stick nests)? What do they eat? How many of them are there in Queens and where did they come from?

I am grateful to Ms. Forrestal for this exciting information and to her daughter Kathy, who took the pictures of the conures on this page. If you can shed any light on this incredible urban wildlife mystery story, please send email to steve@brooklynparrots.com


A wild conure in a Queens cherry tree, April 9, 2006. Photo credit: Kathy Forrestal.