Birds
Monk Parakeet
Myiopsitta monachus · also called quaker parrot
Adding another chamber to an already sprawling stick nest shared by dozens of neighbouring pairs, a monk parakeet does something no other parrot species does, building rather than borrowing a home in a family otherwise defined by tree cavities.
Overview
The monk parakeet, Myiopsitta monachus, is a highly social parrot native to grassland and savanna habitat across Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay in South America. Its unique stick-nest building behaviour unmatched by any other parrot species, capacity to construct enormous multi-chambered communal nest structures, and remarkable success establishing invasive populations in cities worldwide make it one of the most behaviourally and ecologically distinctive parrots on the planet.
The parrot that builds instead of borrows
While every other parrot species relies on a natural or excavated cavity to nest, the monk parakeet instead constructs its own elaborate stick structure from scratch, a genuinely unique strategy within the entire parrot order that has helped it thrive far beyond its native range.
Status
Least Concern, remaining widespread and abundant across its native South American range, with numerous additional thriving introduced populations established worldwide.
Monk Parakeet: common questions
What makes the monk parakeet unique among parrots?
This species is the only parrot species known to build an elaborate stick nest rather than nesting in a tree cavity, a distinctive behaviour unique among the roughly 400 species in the entire parrot order, all of which otherwise rely on natural or excavated cavities.
How big can a monk parakeet nest get?
This species sometimes constructs enormous communal stick nest structures containing separate chambers for dozens of individual pairs, with some structures persisting and growing larger over many years as additional pairs add their own chambers to the existing framework.
Why is the monk parakeet found in cities far from South America?
This species has been introduced and become established as an invasive species in numerous cities and regions worldwide, often originating from escaped or released pet birds that then formed self-sustaining wild populations well outside their native South American range.
How can you identify a monk parakeet?
This species has a pale grey face, throat, and chest contrasting with a mostly green body, a colouring that gives rise to its common name and helps distinguish it from other similarly sized green parakeet species.