CC-licensed photo from gwen

Two breeds of wild parakeet can be found in San Francisco. The more famous of the two flocks, made up of red-masked parakeets (also known as cherry-headed conures), roosts on and around Telegraph Hill with a range extending between Walton Square and the eastern Presidio. The second, a small flock of white winged and canary-winged parakeets, roosts in the vicinity of 24th and Dolores Streets with a range between Noe Valley and Potrero Hill. Another flock of wild parakeets can be found in Sunnyvale, in the South Bay.

One rumor about the birds' origin, which circulated in the mid-1990s, was that the birds escaped from Six Flags Marine World (then called Marine World Africa USA) in Vallejo. Another is that the flock started with a single mated pair that either escaped, or were released, by importers in the late 80's.

The film The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill was released in 2003 and explores in detail the history of and issues surrounding the red-masked variety living in San Francisco. The book of the same name, written by Mark Bittner, was published in 2004. Mr. Bittner's website about the birds can be found here.

In 2007, the city approved legislation to protect Telegraph Hill's two remaining Monterey cypress trees which serve as the flock's primary nesting spot. The trees sit on private property but the city now assumes all responsibility for their care - up to and including assuming legal liability for any injury or damage they cause.

The parrots eat a variety of foods, including juniper berries, pine nuts, blackberries, apples, loquats, strawberry guavas, pears, cotoneaster berries, English hawthorne, and flower blossoms. Feeding any wild birds, including these parrots, is illegal in San Francisco.