Of Parrots and Persimmons

Flocks of wild parrots are having loud parties in the trees of Leimert Park, as one of our committee members discovered on a bright November day above her persimmon tree. There are said to be thirteen different wild parrot species in the Los Angeles Area.

Wild parrots are not native to our area; they were first spotted in the city in the 1960s. There are some different theories on where they came  from: CurbedLA provides two of them in this article.  What seems clear is that the flocks did not migrate here, but formed from parrots escaping or being released into the wild, and they’ve been successful at finding a niche in the ecosystem.

The California Parrot Projects studies the wild parrot population. You can participate in their research by reporting parrot sightings.

Want to see more parrots? California Parrots Flying Free