Green parrots soar above the cities of the Netherlands — vivid, tropical flashes against grey northern skies. These birds aren’t native. Some say they escaped from pet cages, others believe they fled zoos. Unlike most migratory birds that head south in winter, the green parrot stays. It thrives in the cold, gathers in flocks, and carves out space in parks, suburbs, and rooftops. Over time, they’ve gone from anomaly to fixture — unsettlingly foreign, yet undeniably present.

This photographic project uses the green parrot as a metaphor for immigrant life in the Netherlands. Like the parrots, many immigrants arrive by chance or necessity, often viewed as outsiders, yet persist and adapt in ways both visible and invisible. Through portraits and urban landscapes, the work explores questions of belonging, displacement, and resilience. Just as the parrots claim the sky without asking, so too do immigrants redefine the meaning of home — not through acceptance, but through presence.
Photographs; In multiple sizes