There are no parrots native to Ireland. While the parrot that can claim Irish heritage is a rare bird, many of them at least wear that traditional favorite Irish coloration.

 Amazons are typically green. Along with African greys, they are the best talkers of the parrot world and might be trained to say “Erin Go Bragh”. 

The natural color of parakeets (a.k.a. budgerigars in Ireland, Britain and their native Australia) is lime green with yellow striped head and wings. These oft-underrated talkers could also potentially pick up a brogue. English budgies (likely the ones most seen in Irish pet stores) are larger, stockier birds than we have in the States.

Feral monk parrots (also green) have successfully established a clawed foothold in much of the US, including such Irish American strongholds as Boston, Chicago and New York. Feral parrots have colonized England as well but reports from Ireland are sketchy. Monks are also called Quakers, so maybe they prefer to stick to the Protestant sector.

Conure species feature many color varieties, but include the green cheeked and the (green with black head) Nanday conure. The extinct Carolina parakeet (once native to the US) was green with a yellow head and wings. And the gaudily colored macaw family includes the (largely green) red shouldered and military macaws.

If you prefer singing birds over talking, squawking parrots; the European green finch is sometimes seen in aviculture. The olive green bird is native to much of the Old World, including Ireland and is not to be confused with the green singing finch, a different species native to Africa! Canaries are often categorized separately, but they are members of the finch family. While usually thought of as yellow, the original wild canaries had a greenish yellow tint. (Domestic varieties also come in red, white and orange.) While these crooners might not have the repertoire of the Celtic Women, their trilling is quite pleasant.

Green birds are like green beer: they’re not everyone’s taste. One teenage girl remarked how she always wanted a “white bird” when upon encountering a (white) Goffin’s cockatoo. How they fit your color scheme should be way down the list of priorities when researching if a pet bird is right for you.

While establishing a St. Patrick/parrot connection is fun (albeit a bit of a Blarney Stone kissing stretch) for health and safety reasons, your bird is best off avoiding the cool weather, crowds and “overserved” patrons typical of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

Finally, when outside (under supervision) Pippy the cockatoo loves to nibble on clover. Shamrocks are a type of clover and if Lucky the Leprechaun is to be believed, “They’re magically delicious.