How to Catch a Wild Quaker Parrot

Quaker Parrots, also known as monk parrots, and often mistaken for parakeets have very little in common with the typical parrot. They don't nest or live in trees, preferring the cliff and canyon walls of their native South America. They are not territorial, happily sharing their living spaces and even their nests with other species of bird. They are prolific breeders that can live between twenty and thirty years, for this reason pet Quaker parrots that have gotten loose from their owners have become a problem in major cities. Specifically New York has even had a special TV segment showing these birds populating the roofs and ledges of large buildings throughout the city. While it is illegal to trap parrots living in the wild and take them across international borders, it is perfectly legal to catch and keep one of these parrots that has gotten loose and gone feral. Because typical methods to trap parrots don't work on this species here is a guide on how to effectively catch a Wild Quaker Parrot.

Things You’ll Need:
Branch or Tree Limb Roughly 6 Feet Long

Bird Seed and Berries

Peanut Butter

Pillow Case or Blanket

Carrying Cage

Catching A Wild Quaker Parrot
Step 1:
Look for the large communal nests that the Quaker parrot builds. These nests are often over two hundred pounds and can comfortably hold up to fifty birds. This species of parrot is incredibly social so it’s unlikely you'll be able to get one by itself. As already stated these birds prefer high roofs and ledges, so that is where you should begin your search, though it’s probably best to have some idea of where they're nesting in the first place.

Step 2:
Smear peanut butter across about a foot of one end of your stick.

Step 3:
Sprinkle bird seed and berries on the peanut butter. Try to get as many to stick as possible.

Step 4:
Once you've found a nest, begin you attempt to trap a parrot at dawn or dusk. These are the times of day that parrots are most likely to meet up back at the nests.

Step 5:
Don't directly approach the nest. Hold the stick a few inches off the ground, berries pointing toward the nest. Keep the pillow case or blanket ready in your other hand. Your carry cage should be set down nearby

Step 6:
Once the parrots have assessed you're not a direct threat, slowly approach the nest. Pause for about thirty seconds between steps. Keep the stick out in front of you.

Step 7:
When you're close enough, place the end of the stick in front of one of the parrots. They are very inquisitive creatures and the bird will hop on and begin to eat. Make sure the parrot is on the highest point of the stick. These birds have a tendency to travel upward to the highest point of a perch, if that leads to your hand then you're likely to get bitten.

Step 8:
As the bird feeds retract the stick closer to your body and slowly drape the pillowcase over the bird. Sharp or fast movements will panic them, but slow movements won't bother them.

Step 9:
Set the stick down and grip the bird's body through the pillowcase, try to wrap it up as well as possible.

Step 10:
Quickly get the bird into the carrying cage, pillowcase and all. Close the cage and get away. The bird will likely have been making distress calls when you started to wrap it. If the other parrots nearby figure out what’s happening you might get mobbed. It's not particularly dangerous to you but you don't want to accidentally hurt any birds that might smack into you.

Step 11:
Take your bird home and wait for it to calm down. Make an appointment with your vet for a checkup to ensure the bird is in good health. With this done you are free to see the bird's care and training.

Tips & Warnings
Wearing thick gloves when luring out the birds might be a good idea. You might wish to consider catching more than just one parrot; it’s more kind to the animal because they are so social. A single Quaker Parrot is likely to become lonely and depressed.
Despite the Quaker Parrot's small size, their beaks are capable of exerting more pressure than most any other parrot species. Watch your fingers. These parrots are very energetic and start out very aggressive. Do not place them in the same cages as other animals until they have acclimatized to their new homes.

How to Identify a Scrub jay

The Scrub Jay is a close relative to the blue jay and looks similar, though their behavior and choice of habitat are somewhat different. What was once a single species has been divided into three subspecies. The Florida Scrub Jay, the Western Scrub Jay, and the Island Scrub Jay. The only reason for this is they live in very different parts of North America, though they look and act exactly the same.
Instructions

How To Identify A Scrub Jay
Step 1:
First look at the bird's shape and size. An adult Scrub Jay should be about a foot long from beak to tail feathers. These tail feathers are loose and often appear as if they're about to fall out. They are typically larger in scale than the average songbird or blue jay, though they are identical in shape.

Step 2:
Look at the bird's coloring. They are blue on their back and wings in the same spots as a blue jay, though the shade of blue is often much lighter with a slight hint of grey. The best description is a powder blue. The forehead is a light grey strip and the throat is plain white. Their beaks and feet are black and the feathers along the legs leading up to the feet are grey.

Step 3:
Listen to the bird's call. If you're still unsure of whether you're looking at a blue jay or a scrub jay, their calls will always reveal the difference. A blue jay is a song bird that whistles and tweets pleasantly. A scrub jay's call is more akin to the dry harsh croak of a crow. Their calls are grating and discordant. If the bird matches these criteria then you're looking at a Scrub Jay, which is an endangered animal and is quickly losing their natural habitats to mankind. Consider yourself looking to have seen this beautiful and disappearing bird.

Tips & Warnings
As the name implies, the Scrub Jay lives in a scrub, which is an extremely dry habitat. Their ideal environment is an open woodland of oak or sand pine scrub with trees less than 10 feet tall providing minimal canopy cover. Unfortunately this land is also prime real estate for developers and the Scrub Jay usually loses out to mankind's bulldozers. Scrub Jays are extremely trusting of people and will often come to take food from your hand if offered.
The Scrub jay is an endangered species and should not be approached nor taken as a pet. If you spot a Scrub Jay living near your home inform your state's fish and wildlife department immediately as it is illegal to encroach upon a Scrub Jay's home and the land upon which they live will be protected by the state.