The main pathways of monk parakeet introductions
Monk Parakeet:
The main pathways of monk parakeet introductions
Also known as the Quaker Parrot or Quaker Parakeet, it is estimated that over 64,000 monk parakeets were imported into North America from the late 1960s to the early 1970s. In 1973 the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) banned the importation of exotic animals. CITES is an international agreement between governments aimed at ensuring international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
The establishment of the monk parakeet was the result of intentional and/or unintentional releases of captive birds and by the early 1970s feral monk parakeets had become widely established in many major urban areas. Between 1970 and 1975, the US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) conducted a "retrieval" program, in which certain populations, such as in California) were completely eliminated. This reduced its range to seven localities in five states. However, according to a report by Van Bael and Pruett-Jones published a paper in 1996, utilizing the Christmas Bird Counts (CBC) between 1971 and 1995 and tallies of personal communications from ornithologists around the country, the monk parakeet populations have since grown exponentially. By 1995 monk parakeets could be found at 76 locations in 15 states.
Florida has the largest population of monk parakeets in the United States. They were first reported there in 1972 (Kale 1972, Ogden 1972), and were widespread by 1992 (Stevenson and Anderson 1994). Unpublished information indicates the Florida monk population may presently consist of 50,000 to 150,000 birds or more in at least 16 counties, and may be "too large to survey and map completely" ( Pranty 2000). A mapping effort is underway in Florida, for which volunteers are being recruited to help "survey and map monk parakeet nests in Florida in 1999 and 2000." Over 3300 monk parakeets were seen in 1999 alone, but unfortunately, access to the data from this survey has been restricted, apparently due to (largely unwarranted) fears of survey volunteers that monk parakeets are slated for control or eradication in Florida.
The urbanization of the eastern coast of Florida, which included removal of native vegetation, plantings of thousands of species of fruit- and nectar-bearing ornamental plants, and the unintentional establishment of numerous fruit-bearing exotic invasive plant species has created an environment conducive to the survival and proliferation of released tropical cage birds (Carleton 1971, Owre 1973, Robertson and Kushlan 1974, Carleton and Owre 1975, Robertson and Fredrick 1994, James 1997). The huge variety of ornamental plants, the semi-tropical climate, and the fact that citizens regularly supplement bird diets at feeders, virtually guarantees that some type of fruit, nectar, or seed mast is available at all times of the year to exotic bird species (James 1997).*
* Source: Todd S. Campbell, Institute for Biological Invasions
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