Normally, red-masked parakeets are native to the arid lowlands, deciduous forests and scrublands of northwestern Peru, primarily in the Tumbes, Piura, Lambayeque and Cajamarca regions which are hours and hours away from where I live! After my first encounter with Palta, I asked my family what her deal was. Why is she here? Why does she keep staying here? They told me that a couple of years ago, she appeared out of nowhere. She became the town parrot. People would feed her and let her sleep in their houses during rainy days. I have even seen her riding on someone’s helmet while they were driving a motorcycle here.
Normally, parakeets are very social animals, living in flocks of up to 12. So, I like to think that the reason Palta is always out and about is because she is in search of social time. She actually flies around town to different people, landing on their heads and just chatting away. She uses her environment a little differently than other birds might. She flies into people’s houses to hang out with them and get away from the rainy season. She will also take fruits and nuts from the local people.
Of course, there are things that could always hurt Palta, like a cat lounging in town, a dog in the park or even bigger birds. The thing is, it seems that everyone and everything in town knows not to mess with Palta. She is such a big part of Cajacay that they know she should be left completely alone!
