You may know the sounds of parrots screeching pretty well. They’re now definitely part of L.A.’s soundscape, even though they’re not native to Southern California and only started multiplying a few decades ago, thriving in our urban jungle.
Researchers at Occidental College, with the Free Flying Los Angeles Parrot Project, have been studying one species in particular to see how they’re adapting to life in the L.A. basin.
The standout parrot
About nine species of parrots, native to South and Central America, fly around the region, according to John McCormack, who’s the director and curator of the Moore Laboratory of Zoology at Occidental College.
He says it’s not clear how they got here. Urban legends say these birds are descendants of parrots that escaped the pet trade, or broke free from homes and aviaries. Regardless, they’ve stuck around…