General

Monk Parakeet: Medium-sized parakeet, green overall with gray forehead, cheeks, lores, and throat. Breast is also gray but variably barred by dark edges on feathers. Hooked bill is dull, pale pink. Belly; lower back, and rump are yellow-green. Wings are dull green with deep blue flight feathers. Long pointed tails is green above with central blue shafts and pale below with blue-gray feather bases. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Monk Parakeet: Native of South America; introduced to North America, establishing feral populations in and around cities from New England to the Midwest, southeast Texas, and Florida, and in Washington. South Florida supports the largest population. Found in suburban and urban environments, particularly city parks.

Breeding and Nesting

Monk Parakeet: Five to nine white eggs are laid in a nest made of sticks and twigs built by both parents, sometimes with the help of other birds in colony. Nest is built in the highest branches of a tree or on a tall structure. Incubation ranges from 25 to 31 days and is carried out by both parents. Usually raises two broods per year.

Foraging and Feeding

Monk Parakeet: Eats legumes, grains, seeds, leaf buds, fruits, berries, nuts, blossoms, and insects; searches for food around human habitations, foraging in flocks on the ground and in trees.

Readily Eats

Berries, Nuts, Fruit, Seeds, Blossoms

Vocalization

Monk Parakeet: This noisy bird utters a wide range of various shrieks and screams. A common call is a rasping "chape", with a metallic tone, and sometimes with a shrill terminal note, "chape-yee"; throaty "kurr" heard from perched birds. They are also capable of mimicking human speech.

Similar Species

Monk Parakeet: White-winged Parakeet is smaller, yellow-green overall, shows yellow-and-white patch on wings, and lacks gray on face, crown, and breast.