Without Mark Bittner, the wild parrots of Telegraph Hill would just be a flock of rambunctious birds laughing in the hills of San Francisco. Instead, they became the subject of a celebrated film that elevated the vivid green cherry-headed conures into celebrities and helped get them named the official animal of San Francisco.
The Board of Supervisors unanimously elevated the parrots to that status in 2023 after they narrowly beat out sea lions in the final round of a Chronicle contest that drew more than 27,000 votes. The pinnipeds had the Pier 39 marketing team on their side — but they could not best Bittner, the ponytailed, Beatnik-styled bird lover who co-starred in the 2003 documentary “The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill” and wrote a 2004 memoir of the same title.
“Mark celebrated the parrots’ wildness but also became their public voice and interpreter and ultimately safeguarded the flock,” said former San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who lives on Telegraph Hill and co-sponsored the official-animal legislation. “Mark explained this curious flyby phenomenon to San Francisco and the world.”…