IT'S A JUNGLE OUT THERE : FERAL PARROTS FLOCK, SQUAWK IN SOUTHLAND.

Byline: Luz Villarreal Daily News Staff Writer

They fly out from towering eucalyptus canopies like little Lear jets, cutting across the sky with a trademark squawk usually reserved to the bird cage.

These are, after all, parrots. But green and loud, flying free in groups of two, 10, 40 and more, these wild birds are turning heads from Malibu through the San Fernando Valley to South Pasadena.

Local lore has its own explanations for why the exotic birds are here. Remember Busch Gardens? Word has it that many of today's parrots were fugitives from the Van Nuys park's bird sanctuary before it closed in 1979.

Then there are more plausible reasons for the boom in L.A.'s feral parrot population. Like the one that got away Wednesday: it flew off a Reseda pet shop customer's shoulder.

``People don't understand about parrots,'' said John Pesoriero, owner of Discount Bird and Pet Supplies in Reseda. ``Even with the wings cut, on windy days, all they have to do is open up their wings and they can go a long, long way.''

Kimball Garrett, manager of ornithology collections at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, tracks the local populations and he has heard many reasons for the wild parrots.

``Everybody has their own story,'' he said. ``There's probably maybe hundreds of events that led to all these parrots being around there.''

Garrett believes that the birds, about 2,000 of them representing about 30 species, are primarily discarded pets, aviary fugitives - and their offspring.

``We have reached the point, or we soon will, where the number of birds added to the population through reproduction in the wild exceeds the number that have escaped human agencies,'' Garrett said.

The area's temperate climate and exotic plants provide suitable habitat for the birds, mostly Amazon parrots.

For the past three years, Garrett has spent his spare time looking for parrots. He has called on the help of local bird watchers who have submitted about 1,500 reported sightings of feral parrots to his office, also known as ``parrot central.''

``We're trying to get a handle on how many are out there and a basic biological understanding of them,'' Garrett said. ``It would act as a foundation to do more in-depth studies to see whether they would be adversely affecting other bird species.''

The birds are social. They sleep and travel on flocks. Not much is known about their breeding habits because they tend to become quite secretive when they are mating, said Garrett.

``They may interact with crows,'' said Garrett. ``We've seen parrots chasing crows and vice versa.''

On the surface, it doesn't appear as if the birds are causing any harm to native species and habitat, Garrett said.

Parrots tend to frequent older neighborhoods where there are tall, mature non-native trees such as eucalyptus and palms for nesting and roosting. They like to eat fruit, berries, nuts and the nectar from flowers.

Of the species sighted in the Los Angeles County area, only about eight to 10 appear to have significant populations, said Garrett. The most common seen in the Valley are red-crown and lilac-crown parrots.

Just ask David Richardson of Sylmar.

The avid bird watcher has seen up to 38 of them while hiking in the canyon behind Olive View Medical Center. He's also had about a dozen blue-crown parakeets visit his workplace at Northridge United Methodist Church, where he was a minister until 1-1/2 years ago.

``I was really surprised and excited the first time I saw them'' he said of his first parrot sighting. ``They are neat. I knew they were parrots right away. They are so loud.''

His theory for their proliferation?

``Anyone who owns these birds would become deaf after a while,'' he said. ``I think anyone who grows tired of them, you can't kill them so you let them go.''

Gretchen Keeler, a harpist at the church and a bird watcher, believes she's spotted the same 12 blue-crown birds at Mason Park in Chatsworth.

``To find them, just follow the sound,'' Keeler recommends when it comes to parrot-watching. ``They are a brilliant green color. They can be quite flashy and colorful. But it's the sound that really gets to you.''

There have been parrots in urban areas as long as mankind has kept the birds as pets, said Garrett. But the populations have grown drastically over the past two decades.

According to a report in the early 1970s, Garrett said, there were parrot populations but far fewer then there are today. He credits the increase to a growth in human population in Southern California and a boom in the exotic bird import trade.

Today, however, more and more parrots are being bred locally.

The majority of parrots seen flying through Southern California, south Florida and even in Chicago today are native to Mexico, Central and South America. Some are from India, Garrett said.

As for parrots native to the United States, there are none living today. The Carolina parakeet, common to the Southeastern United States, became extinct in the early part of this century.

There's no way to tell if the number of feral parrots, which have been known to live up to 50 years in captivity, will continue to increase, Garrett said.

``It's hard to predict what's going to happen,'' he said. ``It's possible that in five to 10 years, they'll be virtually gone. You don't know the impact of disease, for example.

``And our urban areas tend to be less green. No population can continue to grow unchecked.''

Sightings can be reported by writing to Garrett at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1--Color) Untamed parrots roost in eucalyptus trees behind Olive View Medical Center in Sylmar.

(2) Feral parrots like these taking to the skies over Sylmar are seen throughout the Southland in groups of up to 40.

Bob Halvorsen/Daily News