The Parrots of Telegraph Hill

Mark Bittner: «We’re all one river till we hit this cliff. That distance between the top of the cliff and the bottom of the cliff is our life. And all the individual little droplets think they really are individual little droplets until they hit the bottom, and then they’re gone. But that droplet doesn’t lose anything, it gains. It gains the rest of the river.»
There is a documentary all about The Parrots of Telegraph Hill (
has it available), and I highly recommend it. It is not only a love story but a story of compassion, strength and the transcendence of human spirit. It may even move you on a deep spiritual level. If you love animals this is also a great one for you!
We saw the Parrots of Telegraph hill on a recent walk through the many different staircases in the neighborhood. You cannot miss these babies. If you listen, you can hear their playful screeches overhead. They like to hang out in tree-​tops that are well out of the way of human interaction. You should be able to see them enough to admire them without interfering with their way of life. The are the most beautiful, mysterious little creatures. You will be mesmerized, truly.
When we set out into the city to hopefully see these birds for ourselves, we weren’t sure if we would end up being so lucky as to see them on that particular day. But we hoped!
Finally hearing them for the first time and then literally catching a glimpse of them hanging out in the trees was something I will never forget. It was a great feeling. I definitely carry the essence of Mark Bittner and Judy Irving with me wherever I go; especially when I stop to admire the birds.
–Marks website:
–Hike the beautiful stairs of San Francisco! The parrots are usually spotted on Telegraph Hill, so check out this website for the stairs in that location:
–Documentary:

I’ll never forget the first time I saw The Parrots of Telegraph Hill. Was walking from the Ferry Building to the FiDi and saw the flock fly overhead.
«No way did I just see that. Parrots? Really.»
Yes, they’re a real thing in San Francisco. Of course, in a city that smells like weed, poop/​pee and the ocean, where nudies run free (well, not so much anymore) and everyone has their crazy MUNI story, there’s gotta be parrots.
Apparently urban parrots aren’t unique to San Francisco, but let’s not focus on that right now. Instead, let’s pay homage to these beautiful birds! Def watch the documentary to learn more.
You’ll hear them before you see them, for sure. Their squawking is most definitely unique. Now that I know the noise, have been able to spot them from afar near the Palace of Fine Arts, near Telegraph Hill and SoMa.
Residents of the Telegraph Hill neighborhood might consider them a nuisance (yes, they are pretty loud), but damn it, they’re so beautiful and special to San Francisco. I hope they live long and prosper in this crazy city we call home.

My wife and I saw a flock (5 to 7 birds) flying around Coit Tower on our last visit to San Francisco in September 2013. I thought I was mistaken at first but they reappeared a few minutes later. What a delightful surprise!

I’ll never forget the first time I saw the wild parrots. I was chaperoning a group of students on a field trip to Coit Tower and my students were milling about, enjoying the scenic view of San Francisco when we heard the oncoming shrieks of the wild parrots approaching. Overhead a small group of about five parrots circled the tower. I thought someone was playing a joke on us. I had no idea how so many parrots could possibly be flying free around San Francisco. They kept circling around the Tower about every 10 minutes or so, and just seeing the tropical birds seemed to make the temperature rise a few degrees every time they flew past.

You can hear their distinctive squawking overhead from many points in the city.
They tend to fly around in small flocks of 3 to a dozen birds. I think they prefer high vantage points, as I frequently see them fly overhead at UCSF on Parnassus, heading in the direction of Mt Sutro.

What a silly thing to write a review for. Do you think they’ll read it?
Love hearing these little buggers in the AM. It’s like I’m in nature, without being in nature.

Uniquely San Francisco. Years ago we went to the theater at the Embarcadero to see the Oscar –nominated documentary, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. In the Park adjacent to the shopping center, there we found the parrots just after viewing the documentary. We were told they usually visit the same spots at the same time every day.

My wife and I watched a documentary about these parrots and then went on the walk down the hill from Coit Tower. We enjoyed the walk down the long staircase past the homes on this hill, and the noisiness of the parrots made us laugh. It was beautiful to see them flying around. There’s also a very nice view as you’re walking down the steps.

Dang! These guys are loud! (But adorable)
First of all, this neat group of animals have a documentary featuring them:
and a really cool website discussing their existence:
(by the author of a book bearing their name)
Scoping out the parrots is one of my favorite free hobbies in San Francisco (free hobbies are few and far between in SF — hahaha!) The best way to hear and see them is in Sue Bierman Park, which is just west of the Ferry Building or on Telegraph Hill in and among the trees along the Greenwich and Filbert Steps. I find that they are loudest in the afternoons until sunset.

Just saw a large flock last night near Julius Castle on Telegraph Hill, squawking and having tons of fun frolicking in the trees. It was a wonderful time. Made my day!

From the Unilocal photos, I thought the parrots would be just lounging about on Telegraph Hill but once we got there they were no where to be found:-(

5 Beaks up for the wild parrots of Telegraph Hill. If you haven’t seen the movie by the same name, look for it on Netflix. Very worthwhile rental. Then, come see them flock and squawk IRL. Birds of a feather squawk together. You will be a fan.

They are regular visitors to our bird feeder. In fact, as I am typing this, I can see them perching on the pine tree outside my window. I just can’t get over this. We are doubly diligent about keeping the feeder full now.

I discovered we had parrots in San Francisco, when one day, whilst whistling while I worked about my tiny apartment, what did I hear but a luxuriously loud ‘cawwww’. ‘caaaawwww’.
I thought, ”I have never heard a pigeon sound like that.”
I look out the window just in time to see a parrot spreading it’s beautiful, colorful wings, like a Rìo carnival queen, and taking flight … right here, in Nob Hill.
I look for them everywhere now.

My friends and I stumbled across these parrots completely by accident – but what a find! There’s dozens of them and they’re so beautiful! They always fly in a gorgeous green flock and you can hear them squawking from half a mile away. They seem to love going from the tall trees to the shorter blossoming trees, which is where you’ll have the most luck being able to get up close to them.

One of the things I miss most about living in SF are the parrots — when I lived in SF, I could regularly see the flocks of parrots flying around from one preferred spot to another. Visiting them on Telegraph Hill was always a lot of fun — the birds are just gorgeous. It’s so much fun seeing them flying through downtown SF, their distinctive calls and colors livening up the Financial District.
If you haven’t seen the documentary — I highly recommend «The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill» — it’s just another facet of what makes San Francisco so unique and interesting.

A flock of about 50 or so flew over me today, very awesome!
It was around Broadway & Gough

It’s an amazing sight to see this flock of squawking, colorful parrots flying in unison through the Financial District skyscrapers. A part of me forgets they live here too, so they sort of catch me off guard every time.
I always see them in the park behind Embarcadero 3, but they make their rounds between FiDi and Telegraph Hill. If you’re quiet and gentle enough, they might even take food from your hand.
My family and I used to breed and handraise small parrots (like these) during my childhood, so the Parrots of Telegraph Hill have a special place in my heart.

If I was going off of seeing these birds once, I’d give it 5 stars. My ex’s relative lived right above the park where many of these birds hung out and wow! These birds are ridiculously noisy! Squawk, squawk, squawk! They just don’t quit.
If you haven’t had the chance to see them, do. it’s a one time thing, then I was over it once I realized just how noisy they are.
If you don’t live in San Fran and don’t have the chance to come see them, I suggest watching the documentary «The Parrots of Telegraph Hill» on Netflix. It’s almost better than seeing them live.

These damn birds aren’t getting 5 stars from me, yet! I have made two pain-​in-​the-​ass, and thighs jaunts up these damn steps to get a glimpse. Not even pooped on by these fine-​feathered friends, either… and I’ve only seen one so far! Yep, one brave parrot (apparently on the look-​out for weirdos).
If you are of sound mind and like to exercise indoors, I suggest you walk down the steps FROM Coit. But, if you want to get your exercise on, pack in a week’s worth of bootie and thigh work in one outing and trott up the steps TO Coit. Either way, you should be able to see these parrots. Or so I’ve been told.
Damn, I’m starting to feel like Damien from «The Omen» when he made all of the animals go ape-​shit on family car during a drive-​thru safari-​like outing. I swear they are hiding from me… I heard them, but they’re afraid of me! C’mon I’m such a great poop-​target! The seagulls have never had a problem dropping a load on me!