Learn more about the Florida Monk Survey

Florida is the stronghold of the Monk Parakeet in North America. In fact, Christmas Bird Count data indicate that Florida contains far more Monk Parakeets than all other states combined. The number of Monk Parakeets found in Florida is in the thousands of individuals, and possibly the tens of thousands. A statewide project to map Monk Parakeet nests and estimate the statewide population size is underway. The project is two years in duration, and has just completed its first year.

Preliminary results are shown in the table below. Data are listed on a county-by-county basis. It is important to note that these numbers are minima for each county. Although we have completed mapping all known nests in eight counties (i.e., Brevard, Citrus, Lee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Seminole, and St. Johns), undiscovered nests undoubtedly exist. Furthermore, our coverage of Monk Parakeet numbers in the most densely populated areas of their Florida range (i.e., Broward, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, and Pinellas counties) is extremely incomplete. Lastly, we have not yet mapped any nests in the Stuart area (Martin County), even though birds are known to occur there. Through November 1999, we have documented the presence of over 3300 Monk Parakeets in 16 counties in the Florida peninsula. The vast majority of these birds occur in two regions: along the Gulf coast from Hudson to Venice, and along the Atlantic coast from West Palm Beach to Homestead.