Monk parakeets
Myiopsitta monachus
Sometimes referred to as the Quaker parrot due to their quaking vocalizations, the monk parakeet is a small, green parrot with grey breast and head feathers accented with blue feathers on their primaries. In addition to their unique color, these birds can often be picked out by their noisy/screechy vocalizations. Native to South America, monk parakeets have been able to establish themselves as introduced species throughout the world due to the global pet trade. Today, you can see them throughout North America and Europe often near a large stick nest with separate nesting chambers that can be shared with multiple pairs.
Image from Dr.DeNo on Flickr
Monks are commonly seen in groups as pairs are the fundamental unit of their social structure. Multiple pairs can build nests together, roost communally, and use the nest year-round over multiple years. In addition to pairs, these groups can reach large sizes due to fission-fusion dynamics during group events such as foraging. Within these groups, a dominance hierarchy exists with the most dominant individual at the top and the least dominant individual at the bottom.
This gregarious species forages mostly on seeds, crops, or ornamental fruit trees and although they can build nests in trees such as palms and evergreens, monks also establish nests throughout the urban sprawl on human structures such as power poles, silos, and fire-escapes. Due to their flexibility in nest-building, they are thought to be an urban nuisance, with their nests near power transformers posing as a fire hazard and causing damage to utility structures. Additionally, they are thought to be an agricultural nuisance due to their nature of forming large groups during foraging bouts.
Sources:
Avery, M. L, Greiner, E. C, Lindsay, J. R, Newman, J. R, & Pruett-Jones, S. (2002). Monk parakeet management at electric utility facilities in south Florida. Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference, 20. http://dx.doi.org/10.5070/V420110236 Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2rb5k82g
Burgio, Kevin R., Charles B. van Rees, Kali E. Block, Peter Pyle, Michael A. Patten, Mark F. Spreyer and Enrique H. Bucher. (2016). Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus), version 3.0. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA.
Davis, L. R. (1974). The monk parakeet: A potential threat to agriculture. Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference, 6. Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/257183xh
Hobson EA, Avery ML, Wright TF. The socioecology of Monk Parakeets: Insights into parrot social complexity. The Auk: Ornithological Advances. 2014;131(4):756–775.
Feautred Image from Dendroica cerulea
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