The Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus), also known as the Quaker Parakeet, is a species of parrot that originated in the temperate areas of Argentina and Brazil in South America . It has now become an common introduced inhabitant of many cities in the USA and Europe, including Barcelona, Spain.

It is unusual for a parrot in that it builds a stick nest, rather than using a hole. This gregarious species often breeds colonially, since it is not restricted by the availability of tree-holes, and will readily use man-made structures. For example, the introduced birds in Homestead, Florida use a power substation for nesting.

These parrots are particularly unusual in their ability to survive colder climates, and colonies exist as far north as New York City and Chicago. These northern colonies are most likely descended from a group of birds that escaped from a crate at JFK airport in the 1950's.

Despite scant evidence that they have any significant impact on local crops or native populations, some still fear Monk Parakeets have the potential to be agricultural pests. This led to local bans and unfortunate eradication programs in some areas.

Monk Parakeets are highly intelligent, social birds. Monk Parakeets kept as pets routinely develop large vocabularies, and are thought to be second only to the African Grey Parrot in verbal skills.

In the wild, their colonies can become quite large, with pairs occupying separate "apartments" in nests that can reach the size of a small automobile. 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.

External links

• Institute for Biological Invasions: Monk Parakeet (http://invasions.bio.utk.edu/invaders/monk.html)
• QuakerVille, the Quaker Parrot virtual community (http://www.quakerville.com/index.asp)
• The official web site for the Quaker Parakeet Society (http://www.quakerville.net/qps/index.asp)