Parrots, nesting in peace, attract New York cemetery visitors

[Judi Lynn]

MARCH 26, 2018 / 6:18 PM / UPDATED 5 HOURS AGO

Elly Park


NEW YORK (Reuters) - Parakeets from Argentina have turned a corner of a New York cemetery into an unlikely home, framed by a grand Gothic arch, that is attracting a growing number of nature and history lovers.

Like many immigrants, the bright green Monk parakeets, also known as Quaker parrots, settled into a dark, scary enclave and turned it into a colourful neighbourhood teeming with life even in the dead of winter.

Considered agricultural pests in their native Argentina, the parakeets now nesting near the gateway to Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery arrived in the 1950s at John F. Kennedy Airport to be sold to the highest bidder, according to popular folklore. Somehow they escaped and sought refuge in a quiet corner where few humans dare to tread, comforting mourners with their loud calls.

Since then, the birds have become such a draw that the picturesque cemetery established in 1830, one of the largest and most prominent U.S. burial grounds, welcomed 40,000 visitors in 2017 on its guided tours with themes ranging from “birding basics” to flowers and history, at prices starting at $10.

More:
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-new-york-parrots/parrots-nesting-in-peace-attract-new-york-cemetery-visitors-idUKKBN1H230B

[mopinko]

1. they have spread all over the country.

we have quite a few in chi.
legend has it that they got their foothold outside the apartment building, the flamingo, of the late mayor harold washington. he thought they were good luck and instructed his security detail, which parked outside, to protect them.
they were soon all over the hyde park neighborhood.