The Wild Parrots of North Beach

One of the great things about living in San Francisco is all the deverse neighborhoods we have here. I happen to live in 'Little Italy' also known as North Beach. Not only do we have great eateries, pubs and nightlife but we have a great variety of residents. From Lebonese to Chinese, Italian and Russian we have it all. But a resident that goes un-noticed to many is the the "Wild Parrots" of North Beach who live in the trees of San Francisco's Telegraph Hill. They have been delighting residents and visitors since they were first spotted flying around back in the early 90's. So famous are these birds that a movie has been make about them. Most of the birds in the flock are the same species, a parrot known variously as the cherry-headed conure, the red-masked conure, the red-masked parakeet, and the red-headed conure. Its scientific name is Aratinga erythrogenys. I have a great view from my apartment and lately the parrots have been hanging around my balcony and the neighbors building just next door. Here are a few photos of them from yesterday.