How monk parakeets — and grackles — came to call Austin home

For this installment of "From the Archives," we answer a reader question about the monk parakeets and grackles in Austin.
The Advocate

These 'unique' parrots have been flying around New Orleans for decades. What makes them special?

For over 60 years, green-feathered Monk parakeets have darted across the Crescent City, squawking from telephone lines and nesting in power poles. Aside from their unique preference for urban nesting, ...
Irish Examiner

'Testing the waters’ when forming new relationships

Monk parakeets don’t rush into friendships. They gradually escalate interactions, starting from safe, low-risk behaviours and ...
Hosted on MSN

Want to make new friends? Take a lesson from these birds

Making new friends has its challenges, even for birds. Researchers at the University of Cincinnati found that monk parakeets introduced to new birds will "test the waters" with potential friends to ...
Hosted on MSN

Experts issue warning over bird species that can cause power outages: 'Nests present operational concerns'

It's not uncommon for Texans to experience a flicker or outage in their power supply. But lately, a surprising culprit has been behind some of these interruptions — and it's not the weather or ...
The Times of Northwest Indiana

Do monk parakeets affect pecking order?

CHICAGO | St. Xavier University assistant professor Christopher Appelt is looking for volunteers to help him study the impact of monk parakeets on native bird species in the Chicago area. "Monk ...
Newsday

Monk parakeet nest sparks brief power outage in Amityville

More than 800 electric customers in Amityville lost power for just under an hour Thursday after a monk parakeet nest perched atop a utility pole made contact with electrical equipment, tripping local ...