Parrots in the City, One Bird's Struggle for a Place on the Planet

Through a series of intended and unintended consequences, the only parrot exclusively native to the United States became extinct. The last Carolina conure in captivity died on Februry 21, 1918. Isolated wild sightings were subsequently reported, but as its nesting habit disappeared, so did the bird.

Less than a century later, another parrot has found its way to North America. The monk or Quaker parrot isn't crowding out songbirds or woodpeckers or scissor-tailed fly catchers. These brazen little birds prefer urban habitat modified in ways most native species cannot survive.

Will this new parrot be allowed to stay?

Is there room today for parrots in the city?

Two long-time parrot lovers join a bestselling author to tell the story of the new North American parrot.