Why Are Quaker Parrots Illegal? Require Licensing?
Do you know that Quaker parrots are illegal in some states? Yes, due to some reasons quaker parrots are illegal to grow in some states. The owners need to have permission from the government to keep Quaker as a pet. They are not familiar as pets for several reasons.
The main reason is that they are illegal in a lot of places. It is an offense to grow Quakers as pets. But there is no federal law that bans Quaker parrots. However, they are illegal in many places like New York, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Thode Island, Connecticut, Maine, and New Jersey. These birds’ ownership was entirely removed in these places in September 2013.
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Are Quaker Parrots A Good Pet?
Quaker parrots are also called monk parrots which are the most commonly seen species. Usually, they appear in small bright green colors with gray breasts and a yellow belly. You can find these parrots highly active, intelligent, and social and were popular pets, especially in the 1960s to 1980s.
When compared to other types of parrots, the lifespan of this parrot is long. They are the most loved bird because of their energetic, comic, and spunky nature. We can find them in nature as they are larger in popularity. When we keep Quakers as pets, they prefer a lot of attention and care. This parrot is suitable for making affectionate and entertaining companions.
We can consider the average lifespan of Quaker parrots between 20 and 30 years. If the bird is treated with care and provided quality life, it can live more than 30 years. The most exciting feature of this species is that they can speak and mimic human speech. Quaker birds are easy to groom and are affordable to keep as pets. But due to some issues, these parrots are prohibited.
Why Quakers are banned?
Considering several factors they are banned from many places:
⭐️Dangerous to native birds
These birds are aggressive and territorial. They dominate the food supply and keep away native birds from acquiring nutrition. They will kill the small birds to keep them away from the feeding area. Many of the officials expressed their concerns about Quakers destroying the native birds which dramatically reduced their population of them.
⭐️Threat for agriculture
Some states prohibited these birds because they are viewed as agricultural threats. When compared to other parrots, they multiply quickly. They lay five to 12 eggs and it is possible for a breeding pair to produce six clutches per year. In some places, Quakers are treated as if they cause serious damage to crops of fruits or grains. These parrots destroy local farms and eat fruits such as pears, peaches, corn, and apples.
⭐️Health issues
Quakers carry a disease called psittacosis, which can be transmitted to human beings. Around 200 Psittacosis cases were reported annually. The symptoms of the disease include fatigue, dry cough, headache, muscle, and joint pain. This disease can be spread widely and can be treated with antibiotics. Some illnesses such as Newcastle disease and Exotic Newcastle disease are spread by these parrots and can be dangerous and deadly for native birds and poultry.
⭐️Risk to public utilities
These birds destroy public electrical utility poles, substations, and transformers. It can damage the electric lines by sitting a bulk of parrots in the line. Which results in short circuits, power outages, and fires. This reason can affect us and feel like a nuisance.
⭐️Safety
Quaker parrots are not attacking or harmful but they build large communal nests made up of sticks and twigs. They build their nest on power poles, radio towers, church steeples, and roofs of houses. Due to the weight of the nest, it can damage public properties. In 2001, these nests were responsible for power outages that cost 585,000 dollars due to the power outage in Florida. Florida estimated that, between 2003 and 2007, they spent 1.3 million to 4.7 million dollars on nest removal.
⭐️The population of the bird
As mentioned above, quaker parrots grow quickly and they multiply within a short period. In some places, because of their overpopulation, the government, as well as the people, are unable to manage them. They are destroying the crops and causing a serious loss in the agriculture field. In the residential area, these birds build their nest which resulted to have a negative impact.
Restrictions
- Licensing – If you want to own these parrots as your pets, you cannot simply buy them from the market or pet shop. There are some procedures to own them. Some states demand that the owners of these birds should gain a license from the local government, the government keeps the records of who owns the birds and how they take care of them. This action was taken to save the state from the nuisance of the parrots. The authority should be informed if you sell the bird, a bird dies, or the bird escapes.
- Banding on the parrots – This method will help you to identify pet parrots and wild parrots. The government suggests that if you are owning quaker parrots, it is compulsory because it indicates the age and identity of the parrot. So we can trace the bird if it escaped from you. If the banded birds are caught in the wild then it will be easy to trace them back to the owner.
- Clipping – As we all know, Quaker parrots are active birds, and chances of escaping from their owners are high. Clipping is a common practice that every bird owner does. If you clip your bird it will help to track the bird if it escapes from you. This method will separate pet Quakers from wild parrots.
The Bottom Line – Why are Quaker parrots illegal Only in some states?
Quakers are very cute and can be your wonderful pet. But it is a fact that we cannot keep every bird as a pet. You have to do some research on the illegal side to own a pet. The state imposes legal restrictions to ensure the safety of the state as well as the people. So, knowing that restriction before owning a bird as a pet is a mandatory factor.
When you are planning to bring a pet home, you have to consider several factors which include the safety and security of the bird and also the people surrounding them.
