The most famous colony of feral Quaker Parrots lives in San Francisco.
Quaker Parrots, more commonly called Monk Parakeets, are usually green and about one foot long. They are native to Argentina but self sustaining, feral colonies of these birds now exist throughout the world, including at least seven North American states. A writer named Mark Bittner wrote a well-known book about the Quaker Parrots of Telegraph Hill in San Francisco. These parrots are gregarious, bright, aggressive and vocal. They are most easily trained when they are very young, but with patience you can train adult feral birds. As with training any animal, the key is to let the bird think he is training you.
Instructions
1. Catch the bird and wrap him in a towel. Extend each wing and remove the ends from the outer seven feathers on each wing with sharp scissors. Clipping his wings keeps him from flying away.
2. Put the Quaker parrot in a cage for 24 hours.
3. Open the cage door and talk to the parrot for an hour. Close the door. Repeat for up to four days.
4. Insert a stick the size of a drum stick into the cage and encourage the parrot to perch on it. Remove parrots that will not step onto the stick, wrap them in a towel and take them to an empty, closed room. Sit on the floor next to the parrot and teach him to perch on the stick there. Repeat until the parrot learns to perch.
5. Encourage the parrot to step onto your finger after you teach him to step onto the stick. Say "up" when he steps onto your finger and "down" when he steps off. Repeat until the parrot learns to perch on your finger and understands the words "up" and "down."
6. Put a parrot treat on your fingers. Stick your hand into the parrot's cage and invite him to take the treat.
7. Put the parrot treat in your palm. Stick your hand into the parrot's cage and repeat until he learns to step onto your hand to get the treat.
8. Stroke the parrot's chest gently when he steps onto your hand to get a treat. Stroke the parrot's chest, neck, and head in subsequent sessions. Consider the parrot tame when he lets you touch under his wings.
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