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Pasadena Parrots

Pasadena is full of flocks of wild parrots. The city's website identifies them as yellowhead amazon parrots, but according to the Parrot Project of Los Angeles, the parrots fall into as many as five different groups. Theories and myths abound on how these parrots came to claim Pasadena and surrounding towns as their home. Some believe they were smuggled in; some believe they are descendants of a flock that escaped after a huge fire at a nursery on the east side of town in the early 1960s. There is a cycle of regular public outcry about the noise and the sheer oddity of the birds' presence, but most Pasadenans seem to have come to accept the birds as part of the city's life. They can be seen year-round, but are especially noticeable in the winter.

Species that have been identified in Southern California by CaliforniaFlocks.org include: Yellow Chevroned Parakeets, Mitred Conures, Blue Crowned Conures, Indian Ringneck Parrots, Nanday Conures, Yellow Head Amazons, Blue Fronted Amazons, Lilac Crowned Amazons, Green Cheeked Amazons, Red Masked Conures, Red Lored Amazon and White Fronted Amazons.