Next time you hear that squawking overhead or in your mango tree look up. Or better still grab a pair of binoculars and take a good look. Although many people are aware that there are parrots in Fort Lauderdale, very few realize that there are over 30 different species of these lovely birds. They range in size from the nine inch Canary-winged Parakeet to the eighteen inch Chestnut-fronted or Severe Macaws. In between are the Conures and Amazons, ranging in size from eleven to seventeen inches. The Conures, Parakeets, and Macaws are slender birds with long, pointed tails. The Amazons are stocky with short tails. All are predominately green.

(It is important to note that the pet trade and the ornithologists often have different names for the same bird. I will be using the pet trade names in most places, and will occasionally also use a name familiar to bird watchers.)

The most common parakeet in Fort Lauderdale is the Monk or Quaker Parakeet. These small parakeets are all green with gray faces and throats. They are the only members of the parrot family which build stick nests. All others are cavity nesters. The Monk Parakeets have built large nests in the Royal Palms in from of Saks Fifth Avenue. The birds can be seen flying around the area feeding and playing. Yes, playing. A friend of mine was fortunate enough to see the birds flying in and out of the spray from the Galleria sprinklers early one morning.

Other common birds in Coral Ridge are the Blue-crowned Conures, the Nanday Conures, Chestnut-fronted Macaws, and Red-crowned Amazons. These birds feed, nest, and roost in the trees of residential areas. The Blue-crowned Conures appear to be all green unless the light is right or one has binoculars. But when seen in bright sunlight the blue wash covering the head is striking. The Nanday Conures are also all green and have black faces. The macaws are mostly green. When these birds fly, turning from side to side in the air, one can see red under the wing and blue on top. The Red-crowned Amazons are all green with red on the forehead and a patch of red on the wing.

There are many other species of parrots in Florida, including Mitred, Red-masked, and White-eyed Conures, Blue-fronted and Orange-winged Amazons, and Rose-ringed or Indian Ring-necked Parakeets. Since the different species are often difficult to identify, I have written a book, "Parrots of South Florida" to describe the birds and their habits.

When the Europeans first came to North America there were millions of green parakeets filling the skies. These beautiful birds, known as Carolina Parakeets, had yellow heads and orange faces. John James Audubon and many other early naturalists and artists painted pictures of them. But now they are gone. The only parrot native to what is now the United States has been extinct since the beginning of the twentieth century.

Early explorers wrote about the large numbers of parakeets and often shot them for fun. Settlers moved west and cut down the cypress and other trees that were the nest sites, roosts, and food sources for the parakeets. Then when most of the natural foods the parakeets ate were gone, the birds started eating crops. The farmers shot them in unimaginable numbers. Some were captured for the pet trade, some were killed for feathers to adorn ladies hats, and ornithologists killed thousands for collections. In fact when the birds were noted to be almost extinct it was the ornithologists who finished them off.

When driving through Coral Ridge, one is always impressed by the beautiful homes and the tropical landscaping. And now there are new tropical animals to go with the tropical trees and flowers. Most notable are the varied members of the parrot family. There is a niche in our ecosystem for parrots, as evidenced by the fact that they once existed in such large numbers. The ones we have now are escaped pets and their descendents. They are able to thrive because of the generous supply of tropical flowers, seeds, and fruits which they ate in their native lands and which are now growing here.

Some people think the parakeets and parrots don't belong here because they are exotics, forgetting that most of the plants in their yards are exotics. Southeast Florida is what is termed by biologists as a disturbed area. Nearly all the habitat for native species of animals has been destroyed. Land that is to be built upon is scraped bare of every living thing. Even the soil is removed. Very few nurseries even carry native plants. Very few of the myriad native species of birds and animals which once exited here can now be found.

The exotic birds are a wonderful compliment to the tropical ambience man has created in South Florida. They are one of the many things that make South Florida unique. Let's rejoice in the beauty they provide.