During the research for a paper in the Journal of Ornithology < link >, Stephen Pruett-Jones, Jennifer Uehling and Jason Tallant found that of the 190 parrot species < link > that have been imported to the U.S. since the 1950s and 1960s, 56 have been spotted in the wild 43 states. Twenty-five of those species have established breeding populations.
The monk parakeet is one of 25 tropical parrot species that have gone from pet to wild animal across 23 U.S. states.
Source: National Geographic, May 30, 3019. Link.
Monk parakeets love to nest on man-made structures. They like to nest on transmission poles and power substations and transformers and telephone lines. They cause millions of dollars of damage every year because of their nests.”
INSIGHTS: This group of birds needs to be studied to determine how it might become fomites.