Argentine town under siege by squawking, power-cutting flock

The town of Hilario Ascasubi near Argentina’s eastern Atlantic coast has a parrot problem.

Thousands of the green-yellow-red birds have invaded, driven by deforestation in the surrounding hills, according to biologists. They bite on the town’s electric cables, causing outages, and are driving residents around the bend with their incessant screeching and deposits everywhere of parrot poo.

“The hillsides are disappearing, and this is causing them to come closer to the cities to find food...