Unlike the peacocks, it isn’t clear how Pasadena got these huge flocks of peacocks, though. Some say it happened when a pet store caught fire and the animals got lose.
Parrots and peacocks on the loose?
Others think they just ended up in the area—flown off course? Like the red-whiskered bulbuls, they are newcomers whose story is not known.
In Southern California, there are at least 11 species of wild parrots inhabiting at least 35 cities (see below). Ten of those species came from the jungles of Latin America, one came from India/North Africa. None came from Australia or New Zealand, which also have native parrots. All came to SoCal via the imported pet trade.
Naturalized Parrots of Southern California Rose-ringed Parakeet (Conures) from tropical Africa and India
Lilac Crowned Parrot (Amazons) from the Pacific Coast of Mexico (vulnerable)
Red Crowned Parrot from NE Mexico (endangered)
Yellow Headed Parrot from southern Mexico down to Honduras (endangered)
Red Lored Parrot from the Caribbean Coast in southern Mexico down to Nicaragua
Red Masked Parakeet from Ecuador and Peru
Mitred Parakeet from Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina
Blue Crowned Parakeet from eastern Colombia all the way south to Argentina
Yellow Chevroned Parakeet from countries south of the Amazon River Basin
Nanday Parakeet from central South America
Blue (Turquoise) Fronted Parrot from central South America
Monk Parakeet from the Amazon Forest in east and central South America—also known as the Grey-headed or Quaker parakeet in the United States.
There is a theory that parrots migrated to Southern California from the jungles of Mexico, but that is likely false. Most parrots migrate only short distances to take advantage of weather changes in their native lands.
However, there are at least four plausible theories that do explain how the wild parrot population started in Southern California:
There are verified reports of small bird traders in the 1940s and '50s who had accidents en route and let their wild-caught, caged parrots free without meaning to.
In 1959, parrots were released from Simpson's Garden Town Nursery on the east side of Pasadena when it caught fire. Rather than watch 65–70 birds in the pet shop burn up, an injured employee, with the help of firefighters, freed as many as he could.
In the San Fernando Valley, parrots are said to have been released in 1979 by Busch Gardens—an exotic tourist attraction theme park set up by Anheuser Busch to draw the public to their Van Nuys beer manufacturing facility. When the company moved its headquarters to a different location, they attempted to place their collection of birds in zoos and private homes, setting free those they were unable to place.
Most of California's pet parrots showed up during a time when importing parrots was still legal—approximately 41,550 in the early '80s, according to Long Beach's Press Telegram News (08/22/13). However, as some parrot species became endangered in their home countries, their importation became illegal, and smugglers are said to have released parrots to avoid being caught.
Parents of young parrots teach them how to forage. Because most of the adults imported to Southern California were captured from the wild before being transported, they already knew how to forage, or they would not have survived. Now they reproduce in the wild locally, eating fruits from tropical trees also imported, and increasing their flocks to more than 600 birds in some city suburbs. How are those sizes possible without displacing native birds in some way?
Of course, I stupidly did not write down any dates. But I think it has been about a month since I saw the nine babies. Now two or three mommy birds are keeping together with only about a dozen babies--now much larger.
This below was taken about a month ago. Now they can fly and they have a beautiful set of feathers.
PUBLISHED: February 22, 2020 at 6:28 a.m. | UPDATED: February 22, 2020 at 6:28 a.m.
It happened when the the king of the demons left his golden abode on the island of Lanka in order to invade heaven. A surprise attack, all the gods fled in terror. One god named Indra-- known as the god with a thousand eyes -- took refuge under the wings of a peacock. In those days, peacocks were dull and colorless creatures. In gratitude for this protection, Indra granted the peacock the blessing of a thousand beautiful blue-green eyes of his own --for which to adorn his unusually long tail. With the power to kill poisonous snakes and serpents, the peacock has been venerated in India from very ancient times as a symbol of renewed life and rebirth. Serving as the mount of the Kartikeya, eldest son of Siva and commander of the army of the gods; is it the peacock alone who does double duty in the pantheon of gods? For the peacock also serves as the vehicle of Kama, the god of love and desire, and sometimes mount of Saraswati, goddess of wisdom.
Perhaps because of the famed --and mysteriously misplaced-- Peacock Throne of the Mughal kings or perhaps because of how often one can happen upon a peacock whilst strolling in a Persian-style garden, I had always associated the national bird of India with the north. But, according to a charming essay by P. Thankappan Nair, peacocks are originally native to southern India, where since time immemorial been a harbinger of the coming rains. Bringing relief from mounting days of great heat, the monsoon brings with it the blessings of renewed life and fertility. Likened to union of lovers, the ancients saw the rains as the coming together of heaven and earth. In European alchemy, the peacock is also a symbol of union and the harmonious integration of opposites. So during the time of great heat, the plaintive cawing of the peacock--dancing bird in the rains-- heralds the blessings to come.
And, wow, they are loud! During mating season, their shrieking could wake the dead! And, more, what are they doing roaming the streets of Pasadena, California? Have you ever heard of the parrots of Pasadena? Well, if they are not loud enough, we also have peacocks!
For me, it was definitely NOT love at first sight. In fact, I took to complaining bitterly about our neighborhood peacocks. Their nightly shrieking during mating season had me up night after night. And I need my beauty sleep! I was initially surprised that no one had started an online petition to get rid of them-- as had happened in this village in Durham County, England, where the population was similarly kept awake at night and terrorized by a party of peacocks. I will even admit, I laughed when one of the beleaguered villagers wondered about how they might taste!
"I've never heard of roasted peacock, have you? "
Complaints in Durham included sleep deprivation, peacock poop and damage to cars--and I thought, we have all that! But my neighbors were surprisingly patient, "The kids just love them..." they reminded me. Two neighbors had even been seen feeding them.
I just hated them--that is, until I finally saw the males in action.
"My Lords and Peacocks" said King George III.
The first time I saw King George (he is my favorite), he was gazing at himself in the reflection of a very clean and shiny BMW down the street. He just stood there staring at himself... At first I thought he was admiring how pretty he was (I could hardly blame him, to be honest) but then he began pecking the door of the car. Okay, so this is why people in our neighborhood are complaining about "tiny dents" in their cars. (That's what you get for having such a clean car?)
Watching him, I realized he was pecking at his own reflection, because he thought that it was another bird!
Ok, maybe he isn't the smartest. But what a specimen he is. Look at his sapphire neck--deep blue like the heavenly firmament in a illuminated manuscript. And that elegant crest, like the crown of an emperor. And how about his outside train feathers trailing behind him, speckled like a cobra. I wish you could see him in flight--just an orange streak of his under feathers streaming by you. Oh my God, was I falling in love?
It was about this time that my friend Sally told me about Flannery O'Connor's peacocks. Did you know Flannery O'Connor lived on a farm she named Andalusia, where she had forty beaks to feed? She loved her peacocks, calling them the king of the birds. This wonderful infatuation began when she was five--captured on film with chickens--and it developed from there. No matter how her family complained, she remained firm in her devotion.
Reading her essays in Mystery and Manners, I quickly realized that when it comes to peacocks, the Anglo tradition is really very different from the Indian one. Whereas the Indian tradition views them as symbols of love and beauty; in the anglo tradition, we tend to associate peacocks with vanity and pride. This notion stretches all the way back to Aristotle, who remarked that, "Some animals are jealous and vain like a peacock." I used to feel the same about peacocks--that is, until a party of peacocks (five females and three males) moved in to our neighborhood last year. And you know what? The more I watch our peacocks here in Pasadena, the more I am sure that the Indian tradition has it right. They are wondrous and enchanting. Especially when the males display and dance underneath an iridescent galaxy of radiating suns (like Indra's Net?) in the brilliant California sunshine. Turning round and round, displaying their "underpants" (as Flannery describes it) shaking and rattling their quills--they are more beautiful than a rainbow when they dance. And yet looking around, the peahens always seem utterly nonplussed.
Been there, done that...?
And, reading Flannery O'Connor I see that I am not the first person to have been surprised by their hideously ugly feet! Scrawny chicken legs and that God-awful shrieking--ke ka ke ka ke ka -- over and over as their turn round and round, rattling their quills like lunatics.
Oh, my beauty, how did you lose your golden voice? And where did you get those chicken feet?
A devout catholic, Flannery O'Connor was well-aware that in the Christian tradition as well, the peacock is a symbol of eternal life and the resurrection. The ancient Romans believed that peacock flesh would never rot. Augustine of Hippo would later test this in Carthage, noting that, “A year later, it was still the same, except that it was a little more shriveled, and drier.” Because they molt in autumn with their feathers coming back in the spring, peacocks came to represent resurrection and the Reborn God. Spring. And Easter. A friend on Facebook drew a marvelous picture of a Pesach Peacock! "The splendor of Easter and beautiful vision," says another friends. This is why you you can spot them in Christian artwork from mosaics and reliefs in the basilica of San Marco to depictions in Renaissance paintings by Antonello to Fra Angelico and Fra Filippo Lippi. And just like in ancient India, Europeans of the Middle Ages also believed that peacocks could kill poisonous serpents.
“You shall know the truth,” said Flannery O'Connor, “And the truth shall make you odd.”
This is one of my favorite quotes by Flannery O'Connor. And she was odd. But peacocks are odd too. So it seemed like a match made in heaven, when I learned that guarding the gates of paradise at her Georgian farm named Andalusia was a hoard of peacocks--so numerous she didn't dare count them; for a she explained, “I intend to stand firm and let the peacocks multiply," she said, ending her essay "The King of the Birds" saying, "For I am sure that, in the end, the last word will be theirs.” And so it should be.
PUBLISHED: February 22, 2020 at 6:28 a.m. | UPDATED: February 22, 2020 at 6:28 a.m. All the trouble started when the king of the demons left his golden abode on the island of Lanka to invade heaven. A surprise attack — all the gods fled in terror. Indra, known as the “god with a thousand eyes,” took refuge under the wings of a peacock. In those days, peacocks were dull and colorless creatures. But the peacock was just the ticket. And in gratitude for this protection, Indra granted the peacock the blessing of a thousand beautiful blue-green eyes of his own to adorn his unusually long tail.
The national bird of India, peacocks have long been seen as a harbinger of the coming rains. Bringing relief from those unbearable days of mounting heat, the monsoon carries the blessings of renewed life and fertility. Likened to a union of lovers, the ancients saw the rains as the coming together of heaven and earth.
But, wow, peacocks are loud! During mating season, their shrieks can wake the dead! Beautiful and loud. But what are they doing roaming the streets of Pasadena? For me, it was definitely not love at first sight. In fact, I complained bitterly about our neighborhood “muster.” Their fingernails-on-the-blackboard mating calls had me up night after night. And I need my beauty sleep! I was initially surprised that no one had started an online petition to get rid of them, as had happened in one village in Durham County, England, where the population was similarly kept awake at night and terrorized by a pride of peacocks. I will even admit I laughed when one of the beleaguered villagers wondered about how they might taste!
“I’ve never heard of roasted peacock, have you?”
Complaints in Durham included sleep deprivation, peacock poop and damage to cars — and we have all that! But my neighbors were surprisingly patient, “The kids just love them,” they said. Two neighbors had even been seen surreptitiously feeding them.
I just hated them — until I finally saw the males in action.
“My Lords and Peacocks” said King George III.
The first time I saw King George (my current favorite), he was gazing at himself in the reflection of a very clean and shiny BMW down the street. At first, I thought he was admiring how pretty he was. I could hardly blame him. But then he began pecking the door of the car. So this is why people in our neighborhood are complaining about “tiny dents” in their cars. That’s what you get for having such a clean car?
Watching him, I realized he was pecking at his own reflection, because he thought that it was another bird!
OK, maybe he isn’t the brightest. But what a specimen. With his shimmering sapphire neck — that blue is like the heavenly firmament in a medieval illuminated manuscript. And his elegant crest? It’s like the crown of an emperor. Then there is the pièce de résistance: his train. His walking-around feathers, speckled like a cobra, vanish in flight as the blinding orange streak of his under feathers stream by you. Oh my God, am I falling in love?
Like the parrots here, there is a human story behind why we have roaming parties of peacocks in Pasadena. It all started when a certain Lucky Baldwin traveled out west from Ohio, in search of riches. And he found them too —mainly in his investments in mining stocks and land. Friends with Wyatt Earp, he loved racehorses and imported peacocks from India to his large ranch in Arcadia, where they roamed free. Why peacocks? Well, they kill snakes and are better guards than watchdogs, he reported. “You shall know the truth,” wrote Flannery O’Connor, “And the truth shall make you odd.”
Flannery was odd. Her peacocks, too. Guarding the gates of paradise at her Georgia farm was an ostentation (yes, that’s the word!) of peacocks. “I intend to stand firm and let the peacocks multiply,” she wrote.“For I am sure that, in the end, the last word will be theirs.” And so it should be.
Leanne Ogasawara writes a monthly column at the arts and science blog 3 quarks daily.
I like them when they are quiet, but fall in love with them when they fly.
Just wow!
When they leap, like that, I think they are superb!
Ed says they don't fly really--more like an "assisted leap..."
He is right...
And yet, wow!
They are really something.
I can see why Flannery O'Connor wanted to have so many around her on her farm...
....Her farm named Andalusia.
Bored panda had some stunning photos on their website of peacocks in light. I think ours are young (juveniles?) so the males don't have long trains. See how short his tail feathers are?
From Bored Panda:
The peacock is the Kanye West of birds. After all, the beautiful birds do have over 200 colorful elongated feathers that attract not just their potential partners, but many people’s attention and cameras, too.
But there are so much more to these colorful birds than their beautiful trains. Did you know that the name ‘peacock’ is only used for the male birds? Females are named peahens and their little ones – peachicks. Also, peacock feathers get their iridescent colors because the plumage is covered with tiny crystal-like structures, that reflect different wavelengths of light, thus creating the astonishing colorations. And to answer the pressing question, can peacocks fly – indeed, they can! The reason why you won’t see a flying peacock that often is because peacocks do that in case of danger, rather than pleasure. When predators appear, birds start running and flutter into the air. Surprisingly, the long feathers don’t affect their take-offs. The distance might be limited, but they can speed up to 16 km/h (10 mph)! And a peacock flying is undoubtedly a beautiful sight.
When I was doing window display at Macy's in the late 70s, one of my co-workers, a woman named Coco, had this tattooed in her ankle.
Oh, that signature of Durer's.
When the peacocks are quiet--when you can just about forget the way their blood-curdling screeching had kept you awake for nights on end in springtime... mating season... catching sight of them when they're quiet is quite a splendid sight.
And speaking of their "golden voices" (NOT!) Brooks sent this video about a species of bird of paradise in New Guinea.... just wow!
.jpg){kind=link}