Monk Parakeet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus), also known as the Quaker Parrot, is a species of parrot that originated in the temperate areas of Argentina and Brazil in South America.

The Monk Parakeet has now become a common introduced inhabitant of many cities in the USA and Europe, including Barcelona, Spain.

The Monk Parakeet was established locally in 7 states by the early 1970s and bred in 15 states by 1995.

en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Monk_Parakeet   (552 words)

Invader of the Month: The Monk Parakeet, Myiopsitta monachus

Monk parakeets prefer open habitats of native savannah woodlands and human-altered or artificial habitats such as open eucalyptus forests, plantations, farms, orchards, and palm groves (Long 1981, Lever 1987, Bucher 1992, Spreyer and Bucher 1998).

Monks are essentially granivorous, eating seeds of plants in the families Poaceae, Asteraceae, and Cyperacea during all times of the year, and seeds of maize and sunflower between February and September (Aramburu 1995).

Monks were first observed to the north in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1980, representing the northernmost known population of monks, and may have taken hold (Gauthier and Aubrey 1996, Spreyer and Bucher 1998).

invasions.bio.utk.edu /invaders/monk.html   (5661 words)

Invasion Biology Introduced Species Summary Project - Columbia University

Monks have their largest population within the United States in Florida due to the large number of flowering, nectar and fruit-producing ornamental and exotic invasive plants that reside in that state.

Monk parakeets positively play on the psychology of the inhabitants of the areas they have invaded, since most of these places are cities which contain very little wildlife.

Monk parakeets are abundant where they are established and their populations are increasing.

www.columbia.edu /itc/cerc/danoff-burg/invasion_bio/inv_spp_summ/Myiopsitta_monachus2.html   (1028 words)

FPL | Monk Parakeet

Impacts: The monk, or Quaker, parakeet is a temperate to subtropical invasive species that was introduced to the United States in the 1960s.

Monk parakeets build large communal nests in trees, electrical equipment, telecommunication towers and, in some areas of the world, on cliffs.

The monk parakeet population doubles approximately every 4.8 years and is expected to grow 14 times larger over the next 10 years if it is not managed appropriately.

www.fpl.com /environment/exotic/contents/monk_parakeet.shtml   (108 words)

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Monk Parakeet -- Facts, Info, and Encyclopedia article

It is unusual for a parrot in that it builds a stick (A structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young) nest, rather than using a hole.

Monk Parakeets kept as pets routinely develop large (Click link for more info and facts about vocabularies) vocabularies, and are thought to be second only to the (Click link for more info and facts about African Grey Parrot) African Grey Parrot in (Click link for more info and facts about verbal) verbal skills.

Again unusually for parrots, Monk Parakeet pairs will occasionally tolerate the inclusion of a third parakeet (often a grown offspring) who assists with feeding the young.

www.absoluteastronomy.com /encyclopedia/m/mo/monk_parakeet.htm   (295 words)

Monk Parakeets - Winter 2003

The monk parakeet, also known as the Quaker or gray-headed parakeet or parrot, was imported for the pet trade during the late sixties and early seventies.

Monk parakeets have fed on fields of wheat and corn in South America and fruit orchards in Florida.

Like the monk parakeet, the Carolina parakeet was a colorful, small parrot that lived on an eclectic diet of seeds, buds, and fruits and was kept as a caged bird.

chicagowildernessmag.org /issues/winter2003/monkparakeets.html   (1445 words)

The Resourceful Monk Parakeet

Since 1967 the Monk Parakeets have sustained and adapted to many different environmental factors.   We are studying the adaptation and the environmental factors of the Monk Parakeets.

We currently are studying monk parakeets also known as Myiopsitta monachus, in Marine Park, and the Midwood section of Brooklyn, both residential areas in New York.  The Monk Parakeet were first reported in the "wild" in 1967.

The Monk Parakeets are the only species of parrot family that does not nest in a concave cavity.

academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu /education/miele/monkfood.htm   (1559 words)

Southern Life

Stephen Living is writing his master’s degree thesis on the monk parakeet, a bird roughly the size of a robin and twice as large as a typical pet parakeet.

Monk parakeets have populated the state’s coastline and are believed to be the only species of parakeet able to live outdoors in the Northeast, according to Noble Proctor, professor of biology and internationally renowned ornithologist.

Monk parakeets are natives of the South American highlands of Bolivia, Argentina and Chile, according to Living.

www.southernct.edu /faculty/paffairs/news?file=view.php&id=49   (535 words)

DiscussionMONKS

After examining our results, it appears as though our hypothesis was correct; when the temperature decreases, the monk parakeets gather in the vicinity of the Brooklyn College heating plant more readily than in the their telephone pole nests.

Although we researched the monk parakeets extensively before we began our study, we failed to discover a certain fact about the monk parakeet.

The monk parakeet is said to keep a "permanent residence" throughout the season.

www.geocities.com /bklyncollegemonkparakeets/DiscussionMONKS.html   (350 words)

background

The young Monk's appearance is similar to that of the adult, the only difference is the colors are not as bright as the adult Monk.

Aside from a population of Monks that have been bred with a blue female phenotype, the only way to correctly identify the sex of the birds is by DNA testing.

Rumor has it that crates containing Monk Parakeets were accidentally opened at the airport and released many birds.

www.geocities.com /mrericscience/monks/background.htm   (1103 words)

Invasive Species Weblog

Many people in the neighborhood have adopted fallen parakeet chicks as pets over the years...those parakeets are untouchable at this point (except for those on the utility poles, but I hear they have been slowly moving to the trees as their nests are continually destroyed).

Monk Parakeets are the only parrots to build a nest that they use all year round for roosting.

Monks also have a voracious appetite for bird seed, and will sit at feeders for hours in Chicago when it is cold outside (this supplemental feeding might limit their range in the northern states, however).

invasivespecies.blogspot.com /2004_06_20_invasivespecies_archive.html   (1521 words)