| p>Another day ends as the crimson sun sets beyond | | | | tropical birds or anyone for that matter? Neapolitan |
| the glistening waters of the Verrazano where kites fly, | | | | thin-crust or thick Sicilian, round or square, classic or |
| joggers jog and lovers gaze. It's no wonder Brooklyn is | | | | nouveau, no one makes Americans' favorite food |
| the star child of New York. | | | | better than Brooklyn pizzerias. Perhaps it's the light, |
| Famous for its humble beginnings and ahem... a few | | | | crispy crust made with the freshest toppings? Who |
| A-list celebrities: Barbara Streisand, Neil Diamond, Barry | | | | knows? Parrot Expert, Steve Baldwin tells like this: |
| Manilow, Marisa Tomei and Tony Danza each began | | | | "I was walking down Brooklyn's Bedford Avenue on |
| their legacies here. | | | | Friday when I heard a pronounced crunching sound |
| The food? Let's just say when it comes to food, no | | | | coming from overhead. I looked up, and there in a tree |
| where on earth will you find better bagels, mozzarella, | | | | was a pair of wild monk parrots sharing a slice of |
| or pizza. John Travolta put Brooklyn "on the map" in | | | | pizza. "Eureka!" - I shouted, reaching for my trusty |
| 1977 when he played the role of neighborhood ruffian | | | | camera, cognizant that I was on the cusp of a new |
| Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever, ate a piled high | | | | discovery that would forever enlighten scientists |
| triple slice of pizza at Lenny's on 86th Street and | | | | studying the fascinating species known as Myiopsitta |
| strutted his stuff through the streets of Bensonhurst. | | | | Monachus. For while it has been known since Charles |
| In this great town, there is always room for more! In | | | | Darwin studied the monk parrot in the 1830's that the |
| the land of Badda-boom, Fughettabout it, and | | | | species is "omnivorous" (meaning that it will eat almost |
| thick-necked tough guys are some docile newcomers: | | | | anything, as long as it tastes good), and that |
| the Green Monk (Quaker) Parrots, a.k.a (Myopsitta | | | | bagel-eating among New Jersey wild parrots has been |
| Monachus) which have inhabited the town's trees and | | | | demonstrated in the field (Evans-Fragale, 2004) no |
| utility poles. As legend would have it, the beautiful | | | | actual evidence of pizza-eating among wild parrots |
| South American decedents destined for sale at local | | | | has, to my knowledge, existed in the formal literature, |
| area pet shops escaped (or rumored to have been | | | | until now." |
| released) from a shipping crate at Kennedy Airport in | | | | Despite neighborhood hospitality cultural diversity and |
| 1968. They have adapted brilliantly to harsh NYC | | | | the best pizza in the U.S., the birds are moving on. |
| winters by nesting near warm power lines and | | | | They have been spotted setting up nests in the Bronx, |
| transformers. As a result the birds have multiplied and | | | | New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Florida. |
| appeared in satelite colonies delighting most residents | | | | I'd have to say that it's a real honor to be graced with |
| throughout the borough. | | | | culinary accolades from The Wild Parrots of Brooklyn. |
| According to the adorable tropical newbies are so | | | | The parrots help to make Brooklyn a little greener and |
| adaptable in fact, that they've developed a taste for | | | | remind us that the best things in life really are free - |
| our pizza! What is it about Brooklyn pizza that attracts | | | | even if the pizza is not. |