The Monk Parakeet, also known as the Quaker Parrot, (Myiopsitta monachus) is a species of parrot, in most treatments the only member of the genus Myiopsitta. It originates from the temperate to subtropical areas of Argentina and the surrounding countries in South America. Self-sustaining feral populations occur in many places, mainly in North America and Europe.
Description
The
nominate subspecies of this parakeet is 29 cm long on average, with a 48 cm wingspan, and weighs 100 g. Females tend to be 10-20% smaller but can only be reliably sexed by DNA blood or feather testing. 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.
Domestic breeds in colors other than the natural plumage have been produced. These include birds with white, blue, and yellow in place of green. As such coloration provides less camouflage, feral birds are usually of wild-type coloration.
Systematics and taxonomy
Myiopsitta monachus is presently the
only unequivocally accepted member of the
genus Myiopsitta. However, it seems that the Cliff Parakeet (see below) will eventually be recognized as a species again, as it has been on-again-off-again since it was first described in 1868. It is presently included with the Monk Parakeet because there is too little up-to-date research on which an authoritative
taxonomic decision could be based. The
AOU for example has deferred recognizing the Cliff Parakeet as distinct "because of insufficient published data".
Consequently, there are four subspecies presently recognized:) throughout the Río Paraguay and middle Paraná basins as well as the Gran Chaco.
:Essentially identical to calida but reported as less yellow below and brighter overall.
Cliff Parakeet, Myiopsitta (monachus) luchsi (Boddaert, 1783) – Andean valleys of central Bolivia between 1,000/1,300 and even the rather localized Cliff Parakeet is generally common. or as much as 25–30 years; the former might refer to average lifespans in captivity and/or in the wild, while the latter is in the range of maximum lifespans recorded for parakeets.
As pets
Monk Parakeets are highly intelligent, social birds. Those kept as pets routinely develop large
vocabularies. They are able to learn scores of words and phrases.
As an introduced species
Self-sustaining
feral populations have been recorded in several US states and various countries of
Europe (namely
Spain,
Gibraltar and
Great Britain), as well as in
Brazil,
Israel,
Bermuda,
Bahamas,
Puerto Rico and
Japan. As it is an open woodlands species, it adapts readily to
urban areas.
In areas where they have been introduced, some fear that they will harm crops and native species. Evidence of harm caused by feral colonies is disputed, and many people oppose killing this charismatic bird, but there have been local bans and eradication programs in some areas of the USA. Outside the USA, introduced populations do not appear to raise similar controversy, presumably because of smaller numbers of birds, or because their settlement in urban areas does not pose a threat to agricultural production. Except the UK seems to have changed its view on their feral populations and Defra is to remove Monk Parakeets from the wild. as they believe that the Monk Parakeets threaten local wildlife and crops.
It was found that feral populations are often descended from very small founder populations. Being as social and intelligent as they are, Monk Parakeets will develop some cultural traditions, namely vocal dialects that differ between groups. In populations descended from a large number of birds, a range of "dialects" will exist. 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 less than three different "dialects" occur among the feral Monk Parrots of the Milford, Connecticut, metropolitan area.
Brazil
The species has in recent years expanded its range in
Brazil, where there is now a self-sustaining population 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 favor nesting amid the leaves of
coconut palm trees - as well as 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 of roughly one meter in diameter have been seem. In
Santa Catarina State, probable escapees have been reported on occasion since quite some time, and a feral population seems to have established itself in
Florianópolis in the early
2000s when birds were observed feeding right next to the highway in the Rio Vermelho-Vargem Grande area. within
Green-Wood Cemetery. The grounds crew initially tried to destroy the unsightly nests at the entrance gate, but no longer do so because the presence of the parrots has reduced the number of
pigeons nesting within it. The management's decision was based on a comparative chemical analysis of pigeon feces (which destroy brownstone structures) and Monk Parakeet feces (which have no ill effect). Oddly then, the Monk Parakeets are in effect preserving this historic structure.
Brooklyn College has a Monk Parakeet as an "unofficial" mascot in reference to the colony of the species that lives in its campus grounds. It is featured on the masthead of the student magazine. Most of these Quaker populations can be traced to shipments of captured Quakers from Argentina.
Spain
,
Spain.]]
Monk Parakeets can be seen in
Madrid,
Barcelona,
Cadiz,
Valencia,
Málaga,
Zaragoza, the
Canary Islands and
Majorca. In Madrid, they especially frequent the
Ciudad Universitaria (Complutense university campus) and
Casa de Campo park. They are a common sight in Barcelona parks, often as numerous as pigeons. They form substantial colonies in
Parc de la Ciutadella, Parc de la
Barceloneta, and in smaller city parks such as Jardins
Josep Trueta in
Poble Nou, with a colony as far north as
Empuriabrava.
United Kingdom
The population in 2011 is believed to be around 150 in the
Home Counties. The
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced plans to control them to counter the threat to infrastructure, crops and native British wildlife by trapping and re-homing, removing nests and shooting when necessary.
Notes
References
Amorim, James Faraco & Piacentini, Vítor de Queiroz (2006): Novos registros de aves raras em Santa Catarina, Sul do Brasil, incluindo os primeiros registros documentados de algumas espécies para o Estado [New records of rare birds, and fi rst reports of some species, in the state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil]. Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia 14(2): 145-149 [Portuguese with English abstract]. PDF fulltext Electronic supplement
Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern.
Buhrmann-Deever, Susannah C.; Rappaport, Amy R. & Bradbury, Jack W. (2007): Geographic Variation in Contact Calls of Feral North American Populations of the Monk Parakeet [English with Spanish abstract]. Condor 109(2): 389-398. DOI:10.1650/0010-5422(2007)109[389:GVICCO]2.0.CO;2 HTML abstract
Collar, Nigel J. (1997a): 249. Monk Parakeet. In: del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew & Sargatal, Jordi (eds.): Handbook of Birds of the World (Vol.4: Sandgrouse to Cuckoos): 445, Plates 50. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN 84-87334-22-9
Collar, Nigel J. (1997b): 250. Cliff Parakeet. In: del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew & Sargatal, Jordi (eds.): Handbook of Birds of the World (Vol.4: Sandgrouse to Cuckoos): 445, Plates 50. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN 84-87334-22-9
Fasbach, Laura (2001): A squawk in the park. Edgewater Online. Version of 2001-JUL-23. Retrieved 2008-JAN-12.
Kamuda, Melinda L. (1998): Quaker Parrots (a.k.a. Monk Parakeets) Care and Training. Version of 1998-MAR-19. Retrieved 2008-JAN-12.
Juniper, Tony & Parr, Mike (1998): 269 Monk Parakeet. In: Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World: 475-476, plate 62. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 1873403402
Powell, Michael (2006): Parrots Have Colonized the Wilds of Brooklyn. Washington Post, 2006-DEC-28. Retrieved 2008-JAN-12.
Quaker Information Center (QIC) (2004): Are Quakers Legal In My State? Version of 2004-DEC-31. Retrieved 2008-JAN-12.
South American Classification Committee (SACC) (2008): A classification of the bird species of South America (Part 3: Columbiformes to Caprimulgiformes). Version of 2008-JAN-09. Retrieved 2008-JAN-12.
Further reading
Johnson, Steve A. & Sam Logue (2009): Florida's Introduced Birds: Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus). University of Florida/IFAS
Athan, Mattie Sue; Davey, JoAnn & Davey, Jon-Mark (2004): Parrots In The City: One Bird's Struggle for a Place on the Planet. Quaker Parakeet Society, Framingham, Mass. ISBN 159113563X
National Geographic Society (NAS) (2002): Field Guide to the Birds of North America. National Geographic, Washington DC. ISBN 0-792-26877-6
Sibley, David Allen (2000): The Sibley Guide to Birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. ISBN 0-679-45122-6
External links
Florida's Introduced Birds: Monk Parakeet ("Myiopsitta monachus") - University of Florida/IFAS fact sheet
World Parrot Trust Parrot Encyclopedia - Species Profiles
Quaker Parakeet Society website
QuakerVille, the Quaker Parrot virtual community
Monk Parakeets in North America
BrooklynParrots.com: A Web Site About the Wild Parrots of Brooklyn
Naturalized Parrots in the U.S.
Ageing and sexing (PDF) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta
Youtube video, "The Wild Parrots of Edgewater, NJ"
Category:Parrots
Category:Arini
Category:Genera of birds
Parakeet, Monk
Parakeet, Monk
Parakeet, Monk
Parakeet, Monk
Parakeet, Monk
Parakeet, Monk
Parakeet, Monk
Parakeet, Monk
Parakeet, Monk
Parakeet, Monk
Category:Invasive animal species
Category:Invasive animal species in the United States
Category:Feral parrots
Category:Monotypic bird genera
Category:Animals described in 1783
