A few years ago, while at an oceanfront park in Delray Beach, I had my first encounter with Florida's wild parrots. It seemed normal enough, walking under some trees until the parrots started shrieking. I was a bit surprised to see them and later researched the birds. This flock of parrots were black hooded parakeets. These birds are not native to Florida. They originally come from South America, but escaped pets have established communities in North America. Black hooded parakeets aren't alone in colonizing Florida though. Other escaped pet birds, such as Quaker Parakeets, also have adapted very well to Florida's climate, as well as other parts of the United States.