There are green birds that resemble small parrots that fly around and make loud raucus squawks all over Kemah and Seabrook, League City and around the Clear Lake communities. Some people wonder and marvel when they see a green parrot flying by. Some people wonder who let their pet parrot escape. Some people may think the green flying things are aliens. Some people pick up their phone and call the Ornithological Society and exclaim, “I’ve just seen a Carolina Parakeet!” That’s when I have to laugh, Carolina Parakeets, which at one time ranged from Texas to Florida and up north all the way to Ohio and Iowa, have been declared extinct since 1939.
Those green noisy birds are known as Monk Parakeets and also called Quaker Parakeets. They are bright green with a gray face and breast, which some people claim to think makes them look like Monks. The beautiful green birds originate from Brazil, Bolivia, and Agentina and found its way into the United states by pet trade demand in the early 1960’s. For many years people thought they would be a problem and cause harm to crops and native species but so many years later they are still flourishing and have not had much of a negative impact on the environment.
The Monk Parakeets build huge nests, sometimes on high powerlines and many times they prefer tall Palm Trees. The Seabrook/Kemah and surrounding area is home to a few thousand of these parrots, and many can be seen on 518 in League City. The little green birds are usually about 12 inches long. They are quite sociable birds and usually can be seen in flocks of twenty or more.
Monk Parakeets are, interestingly enough, one of the best mimicking birds and can make quite excellent talkers, when trained. Many states in the U.S. have banned the pretty green birds, demonizing them with the stigma that they cause harm to the crops and have tried to eradicate them from those states. Bird lovers in our area are thrilled that a bright green parakeet is now a full time resident and a charismatic bird, being the only parakeet that builds a nest of sticks. These nests can be quite large and harbor huge colonies of chattering parakeets.
Too many people have condemned these charming little green birds. They are not macaws escaping from the pet store, they aren’t Carolina parakeets, they aren’t halucinations or “Slimers” from Ghostbusters, or even green aliens. Monk Parakeets make wonderful pets and they are a beautiful addition to our coastal birding population. Give the litle Monk Parakeet a break and be nice to them. Sure they’re noisy, sure they’re crazy., but they have personality, like the people of Seabrook and Kemah. We have that special coastal personality to survive hurricanes and floods and keep on rebuilding the same way the Monk Parakeets keep thriving here so far away from their home in South America.