When I heard about San Francisco’s wild parrots, I assumed they would be mundane, pigeon-looking urban birds.

A few months ago, I hiked Telegraph Hill, their famous home, thinking I might encounter one. I saw no trace. I figured they were somewhat rare and subsequently forgot about them.

I did not expect, in the midst of a recent fresh-air-seeking quarantine walk, to encounter a flock of green-bodied, red-headed tropical parrots in the trees overhead! They were squawking, snacking, and making a playful ruckus. I was amazed. These were legitimate, tropical parrots!

After running into them again this morning (and taking a ton of photos*), I did a bit of research. The parrots are cherry-headed conures and appeared in San Francisco in the 1980s/90s. There are a lot of conflicting reports, but most likely a few parrots escaped from the exotic bird trade and proceeded to perfectly execute a Noah’s Ark-esque repopulation plan. They’re thriving!

There is a famous documentary, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, that I plan to watch as a follow up to this post. Surprisingly, I have only encountered the parrots in Russian Hill and Pacific Heights. A great place to see them is Ina Coolbrith park. They are absolutely delightful, although a bit noisy, but add an element of whimsy to the dense San Francisco neighborhoods.

*In this post, I have included the world's grainiest photos of the parrot's I've encountered, haha. I typically see them when I'm on a run, so all I have are quick, zoomed-in shots! I recommend image searching "cherry-headed conures" for the Internet's selection of much higher-resolution photos. They're beautiful birds!