A Field Research Project
Born from Personal Loss
Salvatore Angius didn’t set out to build California’s most comprehensive wild parrot database. He simply wanted to find his two escaped parrots. That last-resort search took him through neighborhoods, parks, and city skies — and while he never recovered his birds, he encountered something far larger: thriving, self-sustaining parrot colonies that had been living wild across California since the 1960s, mostly unseen and unstudied.
That discovery became California Flocks. Over the following decade, Salvatore — based in Long Beach — built a documentation practice that now spans 13 species across 35+ cities, backed by hours of original video footage and thousands of photographs. What began as a personal mission became a platform, a press story, and eventually a team of eight parrot experts committed to making that knowledge available to every parrot lover in America.
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Four Ways We Serve Parrot Lovers
From original California field research to expert care guidance — here is everything California Flocks produces and why it matters.
Field Documentation
On-location tracking, filming, and photographing of naturalized parrot flocks across 35+ California cities. The rarest and most original research in the California parrot space.
Expert Parrot Guides
Care, health, training, nutrition, and behavior articles written or reviewed by named specialists — each matched to their area of professional expertise.
Video & Media
A YouTube channel and Facebook page featuring real footage of California’s wild parrot flocks — their habits, foods, nesting behavior, and seasonal activity.
Public Presentations
Salvatore is available to present to civic groups, schools, and universities — sharing video clips, photographs, and field observations with live Q&A.
A Decade of Discovery —
Year by Year
From one man searching for two lost birds to a nationally recognized parrot research platform — here is how California Flocks grew.
What We Believe About Parrots & People
“Our target is generating appreciation through awareness for California’s free-flying parrots. As these parrots are part of California’s beauty, this makes them ours to appreciate — free and naturally.”
Field-First Research
We believe observation comes before opinion. Every claim we make about California’s wild parrots is grounded in years of personal, on-location field documentation — not secondhand reports.
Radical Transparency
We name our authors, disclose our affiliate relationships, and credit our sources. You always know who wrote what you’re reading and why we might be recommending a product.
Wild Parrot Advocacy
California’s naturalized parrots are often misunderstood — mistaken for escaped pets, or seen as nuisances. We exist to change that narrative through education, footage, and documented science.
Expert-Led Content
Every care, health, training, and nutrition article is written or reviewed by a named specialist whose credentials match the topic. We do not publish content that no one is accountable for.
Constant Monitoring
Parrot populations and behaviors change constantly. We believe continuous monitoring and regular updates are the only way to keep our documentation — and our content — honest and current.
Community First
Whether you own a parrot, spotted one in your neighborhood, or just found us searching for answers — we are here for you. California’s parrots belong to all of us to appreciate freely and naturally.
Our 4-Step Editorial Process
Every article published on California Flocks passes through the same quality process — from topic selection to expert review to publication.
Topic Research
We identify topics our readers are genuinely asking about — from wild flock behavior to parrot health questions — and match each topic to the expert best qualified to address it.
Expert Assignment
The article is assigned to the contributor whose expertise directly matches the subject — Kathy LaFollett for rescue, Pamela for health, Tony for training, Dr. Pepperberg for cognition, and so on.
Research & Drafting
The assigned expert researches, drafts, or reviews the article with reference to current scientific understanding, field observations, and their direct professional experience with parrots.
Editorial Review & Publish
Content is reviewed for accuracy, California relevance where applicable, FTC compliance, and clarity before publication. Author attribution and affiliate disclosures are confirmed before going live.
From Salvatore Angius,
Founder of California Flocks
I didn’t plan to spend a decade chasing parrots across California. It started with a much simpler mission — I just wanted to find my own two escaped birds. I searched everywhere. I never found them.
But in the process of looking, I began to see something most people in California walk past every day without noticing: wild parrots. Not one or two — dozens. Hundreds. Entire colonies of naturalized flocks living freely above our cities, feeding in our trees, nesting on our utility poles, and raising their young in our neighborhoods.
I became fascinated. These birds are determined survivors — they took the chaos of the exotic pet trade, escaped it, adapted to a foreign landscape, and built new lives on their own terms. I started filming them. Then photographing them. Then following their seasonal patterns. Then driving to new cities to find new species. And before long, I had documented thirteen species across more than thirty-five California cities.
The Huffington Post wrote about it. The Press Telegram came out to Long Beach. Mid Valley News, Examiner, Inquisitr — they all came. But none of that changed the mission: to document these birds honestly, to share what I find, and to generate real appreciation for animals that most people don’t even know are there.
California Flocks has grown beyond me now. I am proud to work alongside eight genuinely expert contributors who bring knowledge in parrot health, nutrition, training, breeding, rescue, and African parrot cognition. Their work makes this site worth reading. My field documentation makes it unique.
These parrots are part of California’s beauty. They are ours to appreciate — freely and naturally. That has always been the point.
8 Experts. Every Article Accountable.
Every piece of content on California Flocks is authored or reviewed by a named specialist. Here is who they are and what they cover.
13 species. 35+ cities. The field research backbone of this entire project.
View Bio →Author & wild parrot advocate. Known internationally for “The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill.”
View Bio →Harvard & MIT researcher. World authority on parrot cognition, communication, and intelligence.
View Bio →Specialist in parrot breeding behavior, nesting environments, egg development, and chick care.
View Bio →California parrot rescue advocate helping families navigate adoption, rehoming, and first-time ownership.
View Bio →Avian nutrition specialist covering dietary plans, supplements, toxic foods, and optimal feeding protocols.
View Bio →Avian health specialist covering illness prevention, symptom identification, and wellness routines for pet parrots.
View Bio →Professional parrot speech trainer specializing in vocabulary development, vocal bonding, and step-by-step communication techniques.
View Bio →Every Topic Parrots Deserve
Our coverage spans wild field research unique to California all the way to hands-on daily parrot care — written by the expert whose background matches the subject.
Ready to Explore California’s
Wild Parrots?
Dive into our field research, read expert care guides, or follow us on social media for real-time parrot sighting updates from across California.
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