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30 May 2022
Sitting in my office in Chandler, Arizona, in an area commonly called Ocotillo, I can sometimes glimpse the most unlikely bird I ever thought I would see. Enjoying the outdoors of Arizona and bathing in the water in the artificial pond by my office are Rosy-faced lovebirds.
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At first, I thought the birds were lost pets, which had me alarmed as a former bird owner (I used to have a pet parakeet as a kid — lived a long and full life to the age of 12). Worrying about the potential pet owners missing their birds, I dove into researching these beautiful tropical birds living their best life in Arizona.
The improbable Rosy-faced lovebird has been spreading for years throughout the Phoenix valley. It’s improbable because Arizona is the only place you’ll find them in the wild outside of their native home in Africa.
The Peach-faced Lovebird is a small parrot native to Namibia, Africa, that is popular as a caged pet bird. Like many caged birds, accidental releases in urban areas occur. However, unlike most unintentional releases, this parrot has adapted to desert habitats in Arizona rapidly.
Typically, released parrots are entirely dependent on food and water from people. Nevertheless, the Peach-faced Lovebird has managed to flourish in Arizona and continue eating, breeding, and thriving. Research suggests this is because they come from a similarly dry area in Africa and live in palm trees identical to the kind of trees they inhabit in Africa.
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Colonies most likely started by an unintentional Love Bird release from an aviary in Apache Junction in 1987 that got hit by a monsoon microburst. It destroyed the aviary and turned at least 100 love birds loose.
Sometimes these Rosey-faced cuties are mistaken for escaped pets or parakeets because of their tropical look (as I did). But, of course, these parrots would die in the wild just about anywhere else. Still, as stated earlier, it happened to be a happy accident that Phoenix is almost identical to their native Namibia.
They are all over Scottsdale, Central Phoenix, Ahwatukee, and Chandler. Technically, they are an invasive species, but they don’t seem to be killing off or affecting any of the native birds. So if you live in these areas and want to catch a sneak peek of these beautiful birds, try setting out a bowl of their favorite treat: sunflower seeds!
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