Myiopsitta monachus
Status: No accepted records.
Taxonomy: Three subspecies are recognized, all in its native South America (Gill et al 2022). Established populations in North America are derived from nominate M. m. monachus in Uruguay (Edelaar et al 2015).
Comments: There is no established population in Nebraska. This species builds nests and occupies them year-round, and so the presence of nests does not necessarily indicate breeding (Burgio et al 2020).
There were occasional reports in Nebraska of free-flying birds in the period 1972-76, when free-flying birds were widely reported in North America after becoming popular cage birds in the 1960s (below). The first involved a nesting attempt in Omaha, Douglas Co (Padelford and Padelford 1973). This pair had arrived 28 Oct 1972 and were constructing a nest in a spruce 29 Nov 1972. They departed however in mid-Apr 1973 (Padelford and Padelford 1973). Subsequent reports include a pair in Bellevue, Sarpy Co in mid-Mar 1973 and a single bird in Omaha 13 Apr 1973 (Padelford and Padelford 1973), a pair in Omaha 29 Aug 1974 (Cortelyou 1978, Williams 1975), one near Kearney, Buffalo Co 6 May 1975 (Bliese 1975), and a pair in Lincoln, Lancaster Co mid-Aug 1975 (Di Silvestro 1975) at a location around which 2-4 were reported at intervals through mid-Mar 1976 (Cortelyou 1976).
On 10 May 1998 two were seen at Freedom Park, Omaha; at the time there was a nest under construction on the mast of a minesweeper on display. The birds were said to have been present for several years (Freedom Park personnel); they disappeared in fall when the weather was cold and reappeared each year in late Apr or May (Silcock and Jorgensen 1998). However, these birds disappeared after 1998; they were probably removed.
Since 1998, there are only three reports. One was at an Omaha feeder 28 Sep-2 Nov 2008, but the report was not accepted by the NOURC as a wild bird (Brogie 2009); probably the same bird was seen in central Omaha 30 Oct 2008, and one was in Greenwood, Cass Co 18 Feb 2011.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, tens of thousands of parakeets were imported to the United States as pets. Many birds have been released either deliberately or by accident by their owners, and some may have also escaped during transport. The Monk Parakeet first appeared in New York in 1968 and was first recorded breeding in Florida in 1969. Today, thriving populations of Monk Parakeets occur in several states, particularly New York, Connecticut, Illinois, Texas, Louisiana, and Florida (Burgio et al 2020).
Abbreviations
NOURC: Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee
Acknowledgement
Photograph (top) of Monk Parakeets in Omaha, Douglas Co during the winter of 1972-1973 by Loren and Babs Padelford and originally published in the Nebraska Bird Review (See Padelford and Padelford 1973). Photo provided as a courtesy by the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union.
Literature Cited
Bliese, J.C.W. 1975. A Monk Parakeet in the Kearney area. NBR 43: 42.
Brogie, M.A. 2009. 2008 (20th) Report of the NOU Records Committee. NBR 77: 80-90.
Burgio, K.R., C.B. van Rees, K.E. Block, P. Pyle, M.A. Patten, M.F. Spreyer, and E.H. Bucher. 2020. Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (P. G. Rodewald, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.monpar.01.
Cortelyou, R.G. 1976. Monk Parakeets. NBR 44: 35.
Cortelyou, R.G. 1978. Notes. NBR 47: 58.
Di Silvestro, R. 1975. Monk Parakeets. NBR 43: 60.
Edelaar, P., S. Roques, E. A. Hobson, A. Gonçalves da Silva, M.L. Avery, M.A. Russello, J.C. Senar, T.F. Wright, M. Carrete, and J.L. Tella. 2015. Shared genetic diversity across the global invasive range of the Monk parakeet suggests a common restricted geographic origin and the possibility of parallel selection. Molecular Ecology 24: 2164-2176.
Gill, F., D. Donsker, and P. Rasmussen (Eds). 2022. IOC World Bird List (v 12.2). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.12.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
Padelford, L., and B. Padelford. 1973. Monk Parakeets in Omaha. NBR 41: 15-17.
Silcock, W.R., and J.G. Jorgensen. 1998. Spring Field Report, March to May 1998. NBR 66: 30-55.
Williams, F. 1975. Southern Great Plains Region. American Birds 29: 77-81.
Recommended Citation
Silcock, W.R., and J.G. Jorgensen. 2023. Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus). In Birds of Nebraska — Online. www.BirdsofNebraska.org
Birds of Nebraska – Online
Updated 3 Nov 2023