Monk parakeet | |
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At Transpantaneira, Poconé, Mato Grosso, Brazil | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Psittaciformes |
Family: | Psittacidae |
Genus: | Myiopsitta |
Species: | M. monachus |
Binomial name | |
Myiopsitta monachus (Boddaert, 1783) | |
Subspecies | |
2–4, see text | |
Synonyms | |
Psittacus monachus(Boddaert, 1783) |
The monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus), also known as the monk parrot or quaker parrot, is a species of true parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is a small, bright-green parrot with a greyish breast and greenish-yellow abdomen. Its average lifespan is approximately 15 years. It originates from the temperate to subtropical areas of South America. Self-sustaining feral populations occur in many places, mainly in areas of similar climate in North America and Europe.
The monk parakeet was described by French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, in 1780 in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. [2] The bird was also illustrated in a hand-coloured plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle, which was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. [3] Neither the plate caption nor Buffon's description included a scientific name, but in 1783, Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert coined the binomial name Psittacus monachus in his catalogue of the Planches Enluminées. [4] As Buffon did not specify the origin of his specimen, in 1937 the American ornithologist James Peters assigned the type location as Montevideo, Uruguay. [5] The monk parakeet is now placed in the genus Myiopsitta that was introduced by French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1854. [6] [7] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek mus, muos meaning "mouse" and the Neo-Latin psitta meaning "parrot", alluding to the mouse-grey face and underparts. The specific epithet monachus is Late Latin for a "monk". [8]
The monk parakeet is one of two species in the genus Myiopsitta, the other being the cliff parakeet (Myiopsitta luchsi). The latter was previously treated as a subspecies of the Monk Parakeet. Due to morphological and behavioural differences, and geographical dissimilarities, the International Ornithological Committee elevated the cliff parakeet to species status in 2015. [9] BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World followed suit in 2020 and the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society in late 2024. [10] [11] As of late 2024 the Clements taxonomy retains the cliff parakeet as a subspecies of the monk parakeet. [12] The monk and cliff parakeets' elevational ranges apparently do not overlap, so they are thus entirely, but just barely, allopatric. [13]
Three subspecies are recognized: [14] [13]
The subspecies' ranges meet in the general area of Paraguay, and there they are insufficiently delimited. The distinctness and delimitation of M. m. calita and M. m. cotorra especially require further study.
External audio | |
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Monk Parakeet bird call may be heard here, from xeno-canto.org, retrieved 1.08.2018 |
The nominate subspecies of this parrot is 29 cm (11 in) long on average, with a 48-centimetre (19 in) wingspan, and weighs 100 g (3.5 oz). Females tend to be 10–20% smaller, but can only be reliably sexed by DNA or feather testing. Monk parakeets display very subtle sexual dimorphism in the colouration of their crown and wing coverts, but this is not noticeable to the human eye. [16] It has bright-green upperparts. The forehead and breast are pale grey with darker scalloping and the rest of the underparts are very light-green to yellow. The remiges are dark blue, and the tail is long and tapering. The bill is orange. The call is a loud and throaty chape(-yee) or quak quaki quak-wi quarr, and screeches skveet. [14] [13]
Domestic breeds in colours other than the natural plumage have been produced. These include birds with white, blue, and yellow in place of green.[ citation needed ] As such colouration provides less camouflage, feral birds are usually of wild-type colouration.[ citation needed ]
The monk parakeet and the cliff parakeet are the only two parrot species outside some members of the African lovebirds (Agapornis sp.) [17] that build nests. Monk and cliff parakeets are unique among even nesting parrots for their construction of large, external nests in trees or manmade structures instead of using tree cavities. [18]
The monk parrot is a gregarious species which often breeds colonially, building a single large nest with separate entrances for each pair. [18] [19] It is not uncommon, however, for pairs or individuals to nest outside of colonies, especially during the breeding season. [19] In the wild, the colonies can become quite large, with pairs occupying separate "apartments" in composite nests that can reach the size of a small automobile.[ citation needed ] These nests can attract many other tenants, including some which cohabit with the monk parakeets. [20] These tenants include many other birds, such as pigeons, sparrows, American kestrels, and yellow-billed teal, but mammals like red squirrels may also occupy a nest. [18] [20] [21]
Their 1–11 white eggs are incubated continuously by the female, during which time the male will provide her with food. [18] [22] Unusually for a parrot, monk parakeet pairs occasionally have helper individuals, often grown offspring, which assist with feeding the young (see kin selection).[ citation needed ]
Monk parakeets have an average lifespan in their natural environment of 6 years. [23] However, birds in captivity can reach 10 – 20 years. [24] [25]
Monk parakeets probably have individual voice prints that allow them to recognize each other, independently from the used call type. [26]
In both their native South America, as well as areas where they have been introduced, monk parakeets are among the most destructive birds for crops. [27] [28] [29] Several countries have implemented measures to control the spread of feral populations; nest removal is a common practice in the United States, [30] and the United Kingdom's Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is planning to remove monk parakeet colonies, citing threats to infrastructure and potential crop damage. [31]
Feral populations are often descended from very small founder populations.[ citation needed ] Being as social and intelligent as they are, monk parakeets develop some cultural traditions, namely vocal dialects that differ between groups.[ citation needed ] In populations descended from a large number of birds, a range of "dialects" exists. If the founder population is small, however, a process similar to genetic drift may occur if prominent founders vocalize in an unusual "dialect", with this particular way of vocalizing becoming established in the resulting feral colony. For example, no fewer than three different "dialects" occur among the feral monk parrots of the Milford, Connecticut, metropolitan area. [32]
In its native range, the monk parakeet is very common. [1] In Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, monk parakeets are regarded as major agricultural pests (as noted by Charles Darwin, among others). [33] Their population explosion in South American rural areas seems to be associated with the expansion of eucalyptus forestry for paper pulp production, which offers the bird the opportunity to build protected nests in artificial forests where ecological competition from other species is limited. [14] [33]
Feral populations have been recorded in Europe, the Americas, North Africa, the Middle East, [34] and East and Southeast Asia. [1] [35]
It is estimated that monk parakeets in Spain account for more than 80% of Europe's feral population. [36] As an invasive species, it harms local fauna such as pigeons and sparrows, as well as crops. Spain has outlawed the possession and trafficking of monk parakeets since 2013. [37] Madrid had the greatest population of monk parakeets in Europe, with 10,800 as of June 2015, [38] and the population in Barcelona was estimated at 5000 in the same year. [39] Between 2013 and 2021, the monk parakeet population in Seville increased from 1200 to 6300 individuals. [40]
Other locations with documented populations include:
In Greece, monk parakeets have established breeding colonies in the National Garden, Athens. [42]
In the United Kingdom, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced plans in 2011 to control them, countering the threat to infrastructure, crops, and native British wildlife by trapping and rehoming, removing nests, and shooting when necessary. [43]
Groups of monk parakeets can be found in the Belgian capital city Brussels and its surrounding areas. They have been living in the wild at least since the 1970s. [44]
Monk parakeet populations have previously been reported in Denmark, [41] Germany, [41] [45] Austria, [41] and Czechia, [41] but have not survived; the relatively colder weather in these countries likely contributes to these failed invasions. [36] Other populations in the U.K., France, and the Netherlands have also similarly declined into extirpation. [44]
Populations have been documented in:
The species has in recent years expanded its range in Brazil, where a self-sustaining population occurs in the downtown area of Rio de Janeiro. Since this population occurs far from the bird's original range in Brazil – it was only found in the far south and southwest – it is most probably a consequence of escapees from the pet trade. In Rio de Janeiro, the bird can be easily seen at the Aterro do Flamengo gardens – where it nests on palm trees and feeds on their fruit; the Rio birds seem to favour nesting amid the leaves of coconut palm trees, and in the vicinity of the neighboring domestic flight terminal, the Santos Dumont Airport and in the gardens of Quinta da Boa Vista, where communal nests roughly 1 m in diameter have been seen. [48] In Santa Catarina State, probable escapees have been reported on occasion for quite some time, and a feral population seems to have established itself in Florianópolis early in the first decade of the 21st century when birds were observed feeding right next to the highway in the Rio Vermelho-Vargem Grande area. [15]
The monk parakeet was first recorded in Mexico City between 1994 – 1995. [49] As of 2015, monk parakeets have been reported in 97 Mexican cities, and in all regions of the country. [49] [50]
Following a 2008 ban on the capture and sale of native parrot species, the legal pet market pivoted to the sale of monk parakeets, which likely increased the number of escapees and subsequent feral populations. [49] [50] Sometimes, the head and breast feathers of monk parakeets are dyed yellow to deceive uninformed buyers, mimicking the endangered yellow-headed amazon.[ citation needed ]
Thousands of monk parakeets were imported to the United States between the 1960s and the 1980s as pets. [51] Many escaped or were intentionally released, and populations were allowed to proliferate. By the early 1970s, M. monachus was established in seven states, and by 1995, it had spread to eight more. In Florida alone, estimates range from 150,000 to 500,000. [52] Austin, Dallas, and Houston, Texas, also have thriving monk parakeet populations. [53] [54] [55]
As one of the few temperate-zone parrots, the monk parakeet is able to survive cold climates (partly because they build communal nests about heat-producing electrical equipment atop utility poles), and colonies exist as far north as New York City, Chicago, and Portland, Oregon. [23] Edgewater, New Jersey has had a colony since 1980. [56] This hardiness makes this species second only to the rose-ringed parakeet among parrots as a successful introduced species.[ citation needed ] Their habit of building nests on warm electrical equipment is a serious fire risk. [57]
In 2012, a pair of monk parakeets attempted nesting in Watervliet, New York, about 240 km (150 mi) north of New York City, near Albany, New York. [58] Prior to egg-laying, one bird was captured and the nest eventually was removed due to concerns that the nest built adjacent to an electrical transformer created a fire hazard. [59]
They have also found a home in Brooklyn, and Queens, New York, notably in Green-Wood Cemetery, with some speculating they were accidentally released at John F. Kennedy Airport in the 1960s. [60] Several stories exist on the parakeets' introduction to the city, though their arrival is agreed to have been in the 1960s, following importation from Argentina. [61] They thrive in Brooklyn and Queens due to their preference for nesting in utility poles; populations have not expanded to Manhattan because of the borough's underground wiring. [61]
The population in Chicago is estimated to be at 1,000 birds, with healthy colonies located in several of the city's parks. [62] According to University of Chicago ornithologist Dr. Stephen Pruett-Jones, the population originated in the pet trade. [63] The first documented parrot nest in Chicago dates to 1973. [63] The species thrives despite harsh winters; attempts to remove them have been resisted by Hyde Park residents, including Mayor Harold Washington. [64] The birds are generally welcomed in the city, especially by bird watchers, and were the subject of a 2012 ornithological study. [62]
Monk parakeets are highly intelligent, social birds. Those kept as pets routinely develop vocabularies of scores of words and phrases. [65] Due to this early speaking ability, it is overtaking the cockatiel as the favourite bird to teach to talk.[ citation needed ] Another contributing factor to growing popularity is that this bird has a shorter lifespan and lower price[ citation needed ] than African grey parrots.
Because of monk parakeets' listing as an agricultural pest and invasive species, the U.S. states of California, [66] Colorado, [67] Georgia, [68] Kansas, [69] Kentucky, [70] Hawaii, [71] Maine, [72] New Jersey, [73] Pennsylvania, [74] Tennessee, [75] Wisconsin, [76] and Wyoming, [77] as well as Western Australia [78] outlaw their sale and ownership. In Connecticut, one can own monk parakeets, but cannot sell or breed them. In New York and Virginia, one can own monk parakeets with banding and registration. In Rhode Island, an exotic animal possession permit is required for ownership. [79] In Ohio, owning one is legal if the bird's flight feathers are clipped or it is incapable of free flight. [80]
The Carolina parakeet, or Carolina conure, is an extinct species of small green neotropical parrot with a bright yellow head, reddish orange face, and pale beak that was native to the Eastern, Midwest, and Plains states of the United States. It was the only indigenous parrot within its range, and one of only three parrot species native to the United States. The others are the thick-billed parrot, now extirpated, and the green parakeet, still present in Texas; a fourth parrot species, the red-crowned amazon, is debated. It was called puzzi la née or pot pot chee by the Seminole and kelinky in Chickasaw. Though formerly prevalent within its range, the bird had become rare by the middle of the 19th century. The last confirmed sighting in the wild was of the C. c. ludovicianus subspecies in 1910. The last known specimen, a male named Incas, perished in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1918, and the species was declared extinct in 1939.
The rose-ringed parakeet, also known as the ring-necked parakeet, ringneck parrot or the Kramer parrot, is a medium-sized parrot in the genus Psittacula, of the family Psittacidae. It has disjunct native ranges in Africa and the Indian Subcontinent, and is now introduced into many other parts of the world where feral populations have established themselves and are bred for the exotic pet trade.
Conures are a diverse, loosely defined group of small to medium-sized parrots. They belong to several genera within a long-tailed group of the New World parrot subfamily Arinae. Most conures belong to the tribe Arini, though Myiopsitta is an exception. The term "conure" is used primarily in bird keeping, though it has appeared in some scientific journals. The American Ornithologists' Union uses the generic term parakeet for all species elsewhere called conure, though Joseph Forshaw, a prominent Australian ornithologist, uses conure.
The Alexandrine parakeet, also known as the Alexandrine parrot, is a medium-sized parrot in the genus Psittacula of the family Psittaculidae, native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is named after Alexander the Great, who transported numerous birds from Punjab to various European and Mediterranean countries and regions, where they were prized by the royalty, nobility and warlords.
The rainbow lorikeet is a species of parrot found in Australia. It is common along the eastern seaboard, from northern Queensland to South Australia. Its habitat is rainforest, coastal bush and woodland areas. Six taxa traditionally listed as subspecies of the rainbow lorikeet are now treated as separate species.
The orange-winged amazon, also known locally as orange-winged parrot and loro guaro, is a large amazon parrot. It is a resident breeding bird in tropical South America, from Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago south to Peru, Bolivia and central Brazil. Its habitat is forest and semi-open country. Although common, it is persecuted as an agricultural pest and by capture for the pet trade. It is also hunted as a food source. Introduced breeding populations have been reported in Puerto Rico and Tenerife in the Canary Islands.
The Puerto Rican amazon, also known as the Puerto Rican parrot or iguaca (Taíno), is the only extant parrot endemic to the archipelago of Puerto Rico, and belongs to the Neotropical genus Amazona. Measuring 28–30 cm (11.0–11.8 in), the bird is a predominantly green parrot with a red forehead and white rings around the eyes. Its closest relatives are believed to be the Cuban amazon and the Hispaniolan amazon.
The echo parakeet is a species of parrot endemic to the Mascarene Islands of Mauritius and formerly Réunion. It is the only living native parrot of the Mascarene Islands; all others have become extinct due to human activity. Two subspecies have been recognised, the extinct Réunion parakeet and the living echo parakeet, sometimes known as the Mauritius parakeet. The relationship between the two populations was historically unclear, but a 2015 DNA study determined them to be subspecies of the same species by comparing the DNA of echo parakeets with a single skin thought to be from a Réunion parakeet, but it has also been suggested they did not constitute different subspecies. As it was named first, the binomial name of the Réunion parakeet is used for the species; the Réunion subspecies thereby became P. eques eques, while the Mauritius subspecies became P. eques echo. Their closest relative was the extinct Newton's parakeet of Rodrigues, and the three are grouped among the subspecies of the rose-ringed parakeet of Asia and Africa.
Myiopsitta is a genus of parrot in the family Psittacidae. They are native to South America, but are found all over Europe, as well. They are known as an invasive species due to the crop damage they cause, which greatly affects the wildlife all across Europe. The monk parakeet is sometimes considered monotypic within the genus.
The cliff parakeet is a Near Threatened species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is endemic to Bolivia.
The yellow-chevroned parakeet is native to tropical South America south of the Amazon River basin from central Brazil to southern Bolivia, Paraguay, and northern Argentina. Caged birds have been released in some areas, and the birds have established self-sustaining populations in the Miami, Florida, and Los Angeles and San Francisco, California. This bird seems to be doing better in its North American feral population than the closely related white-winged parakeet. The species is also established in the downtown area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and in Buenos Aires, Argentina; where it was introduced. The native population in South America continues to do well.
The nanday parakeet, also known as the black-hooded parakeet or nanday conure, is a medium-small, mostly green, Neotropical parrot native to continental South America.
A feral parrot is a parrot that has adapted to life in an ecosystem to which it is not native. The birds are often descended from pets that have escaped or been deliberately released. Many species of parrots are highly social, and like to gather in large flocks. Not all feral parrots are able to adapt to life outside of captivity, although having a pre-existing nearby parrot colony can assist with the adaptation process.
The jandaya parakeet or jenday conure, is a small Neotropical parrot with green wings and tail, reddish-orange body, yellow head and neck, orange cheeks, and black bill, native to wooded habitats in northeastern Brazil. It is a member of the Aratinga solstitialis complex of parakeets very closely related to, and possibly subspecies of the sun parakeet.
The mitred parakeet, also known as the mitred conure in aviculture, is a species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is native to Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru. It has been introduced to Uruguay and is established there. There are also substantial populations in the US states of California and Florida and smaller numbers in Hawaii.
The brown-throated parakeet, also known as the St. Thomas conure or brown-throated conure in aviculture, is a species of bird in the subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is found in Costa Rica, Panama, the northern mainland of South America, and islands off the South American coast.
The New Caledonian parakeet, or New Caledonian red-crowned parakeet, is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to New Caledonia. The species was once considered to be conspecific with the red-fronted parakeet of New Zealand but is now considered a full species and is known to be the basal species in the genus Cyanoramphus, which had its origins in New Caledonia.
The sun conure, also known as the sun parakeet, is a medium-sized, vibrantly colored parrot native to northeastern South America. The adult male and female are similar in appearance, with black beaks, predominantly golden-yellow plumage, orange-flushed underparts and face, and green and blue-tipped wings and tails. Sun conures are very social birds, typically living in flocks. They form monogamous pairs for reproduction, and nest in palm cavities in the tropics. Sun conures mainly feed on fruits, flowers, berries, blossoms, seeds, nuts, and insects. Conures are commonly bred and kept in aviculture and may live up to 30 years. This species is currently threatened by loss of habitat and trapping for plumage or the pet trade. Sun conures are now listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Feral parakeets in Great Britain are wild-living, non-native parakeets that are an introduced species into Great Britain. The population mainly consists of rose-ringed parakeets, a non-migratory species of bird native to Africa and the Indian Subcontinent, with a few, small breeding populations of monk parakeets, and other occasional escaped cage birds. The origins of these birds are subject of speculation, but they are generally thought to have bred from birds that escaped from captivity or were released.
Parrots (Psittaciformes), also known as psittacines, are birds with a strong curved beak, upright stance, and clawed feet. They are classified in four families that contain roughly 410 species in 101 genera, found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The four families are the Psittaculidae, Psittacidae, Cacatuoidea (cockatoos), and Strigopidae. One-third of all parrot species are threatened by extinction, with a higher aggregate extinction risk than any other comparable bird group. Parrots have a generally pantropical distribution with several species inhabiting temperate regions as well. The greatest diversity of parrots is in South America and Australasia.
[...] a monk parakeet, a prohibited species which is not permitted to be imported into or kept in WA.
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