New American Parrots

 

Blue-crowned Parakeet (Thectocercus acuticaudatus).
Broward County, Florida. 

People don’t think of the United States as prime parrot territory, but when Europeans arrived in the New World there were two native parrots.  Carolina Parakeets (Conuropsis carolinensis) lived in Eastern North America from Florida north to what would become New York and west to the great plains.  Thick-billed Parrots (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha) are native to the mountains of Mexico and their range extended into the future Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. 

Carolina Parakeets (Conuropsis carolinensis)
by John James Audubon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_parakeet#/media/
File:AudubonCarolinaParakeet2.jpg

Unfortunately, Carolina Parakeets were driven to extinction by habitat loss and hunting.  The last member of this species died in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1918.  The Thick-billed Parrot is an endangered species.  Its population in Mexico has been in decline and the last native Thick-billed Parrots in Southwestern United States were seen in the 1930s.  The old story of habitat loss plays a role in this decline but the capture of wild birds for the pet trade also contributed to the loss of Thick-billed Parrots. 

So, we know parrots can live in the United States, but the native species were lost in the early 20^th century.  Since that time other parrots have been introduced to the country.  Some are escaped or released cage birds and at least one species may have colonized the southern border on its own. 

Introduced parrots can be found across the United States, often in urban environments.  Parrots are classified in the Order Psittaciformes, and this order has more than 400 species.  Parrots are generally found in the tropics and subtropics, but as we see, they can reach into temperate regions.  A note about names.  The largest parrots are named macaws.  Medium sized parrots are just called parrots or amazons. Small parrots with long pointed tails are parakeets. 

The greatest diversity of the new American parrots is found in South Florida, the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and California.  The subtropical climate and abundance of fruit trees in these areas fit the lifestyle of parrots and they have made themselves at home.  

Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monarchus).
Palm Beach County, Florida. 

Monk Parakeet colonial nest. 
Hidalgo County, Texas.

Monk Parakeets building a nest.
Palm Beach County, Florida.

Monk Parakeets (Myiopsitta monarchus) are originally from subtropical and temperate areas of southern South America.  They are now well established in North America as far north as southern Canada.   Monk Parakeets are bright green with gray on the face and breast.  As with most parrots, they are gregarious but unlike other parrots build nests of sticks that are used by multiple pairs of birds.  Monk Parakeets were imported into the United States for the pet trade.  Some escaped and others were released and they thrived.  Florida is estimated to have a population of up to half a million of these bright and squawking parrots.  We have seen Monk Parakeets in Florida and Texas. 

Nanday Parakeets (Aratinga nenday). 
Palm Beach County, Florida.

The Nanday Parakeet (Aratinga nenday) is another South American species that was released or escaped captivity and found a welcoming environment in Florida and in other locations. They are green with a black face and beak, black wings and a blue tail. We regularly see Nanday Parakeets when we visit Florida. 

Mitred Parrakeet (Psittacara mitrata).
Broward County, Florida. 

Mitred Parakeets.
Broward County, Florida. 

The Mitred Parakeet's (Psittacara mitrata) natural range is the Andes, from Peru to Argentina.  It is also established in South Florida and California from escaped and released birds.  Mitred Parakeets are brilliant green with red on the face.  They travel in noisy flocks to feed on fruit and flowers.  In Florida they nest in rain gutters, vents and holes in buildings.  We found a flock of Mitred Parakeets in an old Ft. Lauderdale cemetery.

Green Parakeets (Psittacara holochlorus).
Hidalgo County, Texas.

Green Parakeets.
Hidalgo County, Texas. 

Originally Green Parakeets (Psittacara holochlorus) ranged from northern Mexico into Central America. They are now thriving in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas.  Hundreds of these parakeets roost in places like downtown McAllen where we found them. The noise made by so many Green Parakeets coming to roost at sunset is amazing. Some of the Green Parakeets in Texas are descendants of captive birds but some may have dispersed from the native population in Mexico.  Green Parakeets are indeed green with a pale beak.

 

Blue-crowned Parakeet.
Broward County, Florida.

Blue-crowned Parakeets.
Broward County, Florida. 

Yet another South American import is the Blue-crowned Parakeet (Thectocercus acuticaudatus).  This green parakeet has a blue forehead and face, a white eye ring and a pink beak. The undersides of the wings are yellow and the tail from below is orange and yellow.  Besides South America, Blue-crowned Parakeets live in South Florida, Southern California and other locations.  We found a large flock in Live Oak trees (Quercus virginana) in Ft. Lauderdale.   

Rosy-faced Lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis).
Maricopa County, Arizona.  

Rosy-faced Lovebird
Maricopa County, Arizona. 

Rosy-faced Lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis) are native to the savannas of Southwest Africa and are now found in the United States, Europe and other areas.  They are green with rosy-pink faces and a pale bill.  We found them in a small park in Tempe, Arizona, an area that resembles their African home. 

 

Chestnut-fronted Macaw (Ara severus).
Miami-Dade County, Florida.  

Chestnut-fronted Macaws. 
Miami-Dade County, Florida. 

Chestnut-fronted Macaws (Ara severus) are naturally found in lowland rainforests of South America including much of the Amazon basin.  These large, pointy-tailed parrots are green with red and blue on the wings.  The chestnut front in the name comes from a brown patch above the beak.  We found a bedraggled batch of Chestnut-fronted Macaws during a thunderstorm in a South Miami park.

Blue-and-Yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna).
Miami-Dade County, Florida. 

Blue-and-Yellow Macaw.
Miami-Dade County, Florida. 

Blue-and-yellow Macaws (Ara ararauna) are impressively large with a blue back and upper wings and are brilliant gold beneath.  Their crown is green and the black-and-white face pattern sets off the large black beak. We saw them in the same park as the Chestnut-fronted Macaws and they were likewise drenched from the rain. 

It is interesting that the two parrots native to the United States are extinct but other parrots have moved in to fill the parrot niche.  There are now at least 56 species of parrots in the US.  Some may never have a self-sustaining population, but others are thriving and parrots will continue to be part of the avifauna of the United States. 

Nanday Parakeet.
Palm Beach County, Florida.