Introduced as pets, monk parakeets are now the bane of birders,...

Like many exotic animals now established in South Florida, monk parakeets entered the country as pets, flew their coops and earned a reputation as a public nuisance.

[Apock]

Eradication? Come on, they are birds. Let natural selection play itself out. I hate ring neck doves and pigeons, but you won't see me shooting them.... not to say I won't let my cat loose on them though.... Hey, someone has got the thin the herd.

[Moe]

We have two of these parrots. Found one that has a ten word vocabulary, and an hysterical personality, the other we adopted from a neglectful owner.

They do bond with people, and although they are the noisiest pets alive, they are truly a great pet, intelligent, and entertaining.

It would be a shame to harm these beautiful creatures.

[charlie One Eye]

What's the nice word? "Cull"

[Helio]

You would think, living so close to the intense electromagnetic field created by those power lines, these birds would already be mutated into some horrible Alfred Hitchcock flesh eaters.

Maybe those EMF's aren't so bad after all?

[Passenger Pigeon Deja Vu]

Can't be eradicated, eh?

That's what they said about the passenger pigeon.... and there's nary a one to be found.

Never give Americans a challenge regarding killing something - we're the best at it. Monk parakeet stew, anyone? And would like a side order of feathers with that?

[Mew]

Me hungry....

[the trashmen]

bird's the word .

[Sf Native]

These birds are very cool. I used to have a few. I don't see what the problem is. How can they have any affect on the native species? They normally don't eat the same stuff. When is the last time you saw a crow eat a mango? If the fear of them disturbing crops was an issue, with as many as there are, don't you think they would have done it by now?
Just more bull being slung around because it is something the govt hasn't been able to control.

[Gol Teefes]

Some people would cull Lawdahewou and Miromah if dey could....leah dem birds alone....I likes'em cept when dey poop on my gol metal flake paint job.

[Drivel Detector]

I have wild parrots and parakeets in my back yard on occasion and enjoy them immensely. Tough luck on the jerk trying to diddle with the eggs. He got what he deserved.

[SmartGirl]

The Christian answer to everything... Kill IT.

[Maybe]

I noticed it mentioned in the article that they might be filling the niche that the Carolina Parakeet filled before we wiped them out. When you think in terms of the earth, they haven't been gone that long. I have wondered about that also, but never found enough information on the extinct carolina parakeet to actually be sure.

[SmartGirl]

Apock wrote:

Eradication? Come on, they are birds. Let natural selection play itself out. I hate ring neck doves and pigeons, but you won't see me shooting them.... not to say I won't let my cat loose on them though.... Hey, someone has got the thin the herd.

Ringneck doves arent native, either. They are from India. The Mourning Dove is the native bird (the smaller one you see with the darker feathers and pink feet). Ringnecks are reducing the numbers of the native species through competition.

[Pet Lover]

I live close to an electrical plant and see them everyday, making their nests, flying around in groups, making lot of noises, enjoying the sun...I don't see a problem with that, they do not harm, and add a tropical twist and a bit of nature to South FLorida.
I don't live birds as pets(I prefer cats) but I do like see them around in flocks, they are beautiful and so cool!.

[Pet Lover]

And for those people who get electrical shock and get harmed and end up in the hospital while trying to steal the eggs...Shame on you!
Dont' blame the birds, blame the stupidity of your decision to steal!

[Save rice ride a Harley]

I like to hear and see them as they fly by. N.broward has alot of them, and now i'm noticing them as far north as W. Boynton

[Ridiculous]

There are ways of keeping birds from nesting in certain areas. It's not the birds at fault but the stupidty and laziness of people. Eradication. That's ridiculous. I cannot stand how stupid people are here. They're not a threat. Immigration on the other hand...that's a problem that contributing to the downfall of this country. It must be capped.

Cap Immigration Now!!! No more!!! We are FULL to capacity and there are NO vacancies!!! The AMERICAN people's quality of life is fast disintegrating and this needs to stop NOW.

The birds are not the threat!

[Doh]

High quality SunSentinel writing strikes again. "Now the hearty monk parakeet...." The word you are looking for is "hardy", not "hearty" in this context.

[iamklaatu]

"they can also lure humans into dangerous feats of foolishness." Thats some great reporting there, Lou. What are they doing? Hanging out in the entrance of their nest with a come hither look? How about greedy, lazy, red-necked humans who think nothing of ripping a baby from its mother? People like that should be culled from the human race.

[McGruff]

The Parakeets are harmless in South Florida for the time being.

What the state turns it's back on is the iguana's and illegal aliens which do need to be eradicated.

Just wait till 10 years from now when the iguana's and illegals take over.

Think I'm kidding?