The mission of Monkparakeet.com is:
Getting around Monkparakeet.com If you're using the frames version, the top and left menus give you access to all the content pages. On the top menu bar, Main menu, Sightings and Links give you access to the left column menu bars. The little parrot graphic at the left corner of the top menu bar brings up the opening "splash" frame, if you want to see it without changing the left menu back to the main menu.
Monk Parakeets, Myiopsitta monachus, are unique, being the only parrots in the world who build complex nest structures from sticks and other materials, and live in them all year. Other parrots build nests, but only in a pre-existing cavity in a tree or some other location, and only use them during breeding season. They are also the sole occupants of the genus Myiopsitta, so have no close relatives -- at least from the scientific point of view. That may change some day as scientists develop a better understanding of parrot genetics. Also known as Quaker Parakeets, Quaker Conures, Gray-breasted or Gray-headed Parakeets, these small parrots are native to South America where they can be found in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia. There are four subspecies of Monks:
In recent decades, they've been introduced, through the pet trade to the United States and Europe. They've also been seen on Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, where they were imported for the bird park.
There are disputes about both the common and scientific names for these parrots. The formal common name for this bird is Monk Parakeet and is used by scientists and birders. The species name, Myiopsitta monachus, is based on that particular name (or vice versa). Quaker Parakeet is also considered a common name for the bird for a variety of reasons, from the appearance of the bird, to it's "quaki-quaki" call, to the quaking, begging behavior of the chicks. The common name in the United States, at least amongst pet owners, is Quaker Parakeet or Quaker Parrot. Of dispute to scientists is the name for the subspecies M. m. calita. According to author Mark Spreyer, "calita" is used by non-spanish speaking scientists as the result of an accidental mispelling of the Spanish word "catita." Catita is the common name for Monks in Argentina and Uruguay, so makes sense as a subspecies name.
About the author & publisher of this site Hi, I'm Kathleen Carr and I have been interested in Monk, or Quaker, Parakeets since 1987 when I first acquired one as a pet. At that time, I learned that there were scattered feral colonies of monks in the USA, most notably in Chicago and in Florida. It wasn't until years later that I learned about the colonies in other states. It is my hope, through this web site, to create the first comprehensive, "real-time" atlas of the whereabouts of these birds and provide a means by which people can report sightings of monk populations. I am also working on a proposed book about Monks, an unnatural history of sorts about their introduction to the North American fauna and our fascination with them as pets. This may end up talking about other parrots, pets, and introduced species as well, but will focus on the monks. |
