Carolina parakeet

[Tom]

Here's an interesting bit of research that I will be expanding on soon,
www.georgehoward.net/parakeet.htm

[Tom]

The following is from Georgia wild life, and is what I have been looking for, that is a replacment (legal) for the carolina parakeet, since this bird must have been importaqnt to the Eastern Communities I thought that we should know more about it.

The last paragraph lists the Monk Parakeet as a replacement species.
The feathers of this bird can be used legally for fans etc. some thing to look for.

Carolina Parakeet, Conuropsis carolinensis
Scientific name: The genus name is a Modern Latin word meaning "resembling Conorus," which is another genus of parrots. The species name is also a Modern Latin word meaning "of Carolina," a reference to the region which roughly corresponds to the states of North and South Carolina. Like many other plants and animals, the first specimens of this bird to catch the attention of naturalists and taxonomists probably came from this region.

Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae

Size: 30 cm (12 in) in length. Color: Mostly green; crown of head and lores (area between the bill and eyes) orange; remainder of head and neck yellow; patches on wings yellow; tail dark. Other things to look for: Strong, large bill; pointed tail.

The breeding season for this bird is unknown. Breeding habitat was bottomland forests, areas near rivers, cypress swamps, and deciduous forests. This species was a cavity nester and apparently preferred deciduous trees. The female laid 1-4 (usually 2) eggs that were incubated for about 19-20 days. It is unknown which sex was responsible for incubating the eggs. The young were altricial and fledged 18-19 days after hatching.

Habitat that these birds used during the non-breeding season was similar to breeding habitats. They were very social, roosting together during the night and traveling together in foraging flocks. The Carolina Parakeet's diet consisted of seeds and fruit. Some agricultural crops like peaches, apples, and grapes were eaten by this species. The Carolina Parakeet was probably not a migrant.

The former range of the Carolina Parakeet was mostly in the southeastern United States, but it occurred in most of the East, with reports of sightings as far north as Virginia and Wisconsin and as far west as Colorado and central Texas.

The Carolina Parakeet is now extinct. Numbers of this bird were begining to decline as early as the 1880s. The causes of its demise were many. It was considered to be an agricultural pest, taken as a pet, killed for sport, and killed for its plumage. As settlers farmed more land, the fruit crops were an easy food source for these flocks of birds. Another aspect of this birds' behavior also increased the speed of its demise. When an individual was shot, the others in that flock would go to their wounded comrade rather than flying away to safety. This enabled people to eliminate entire flocks at a time. The last known Carolina Parakeet died in the Cincinatti Zoo in 1918.

There are no native parakeets left in the United States. However, a parakeet introduced from South America, the Monk Parakeet is very similar in size and color to the extinct Carolina Parakeet. The Monk Parakeet has a white forehead, chin, and breast, blue flight feathers and primaries and an entirely green tail.

Information provided by: The Georgia Museum of Natural History and Georgia Department of Natural Resources
1 June 2000

[Tom]

This link provides you with a great color pic. of a mounted specimen....
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Karolinasittich_01.jpg
if that link does not work our type the text in it is well worth the view.

[Tom]

Here is a must read if you are interested in this topic, it is getting a bit closer to the topics that I'd like to accomplish.
www.carolinanature.com/birds/capapapi.html

[collins]

Tom I was looking at the pictures of the Pasenger Pigeon and noticed how similar it's markings and colors are to Mourning Dove. I wonder how closely related those two bird breeds are.

Also on the Carolina Parakeet I wonder since some of the articles say that some people kept them as pets if their blood lines ever crossed with other more established pet bird breeds like the pocket Parrot/Quaker Parrot?

[rockhound]

Thanks for posting that Tom, that is interesting. I've never heard of them before.

[Tom]

hello, the passenger pigeon must have been a near cousin to the Mourning Dove, very simalar but the larger Passenger shows some irridensence on the neck area.
I would like to see some science group bring these two birds back through DNA implanting like what may happen with the thylacine of Australia.

[Tom]

hey Collins here an answer to your question, pretty close to each other I'd say.
http://wbu.com/chipperwoods/photos/mdove.htm

[Tom]

I have asked around and the use of these feathers also appear in feathered capes and most likely as hair ornaments etc.
I have found references to them in (or parts of the bird) in almost every form of tradional art(s) known, including carvings on pipes, parts and pieces of them as bracelets, clothing and as ornaments.
If you find green parakeet feathers you could use them in fans as hair ornaments and several other ways to give your regalia that individual look.
ps get this , the back feathers from flamingos look great with these feathers bright red and green!!

[Linda]

Aren't there some small parrots that look like them? I know I've seen them in pet stores. I want to say Love birds. Does anyone know?

Being parakeets, does that mean they would have made good pets and could be taught to talk? My god, what a beautiful world this was. It's a pretty day here in the woods where I live. To think it was like this everywhere you went, only more so. And colonists called it a wilderness.

[Tom]

I'll ask a friend which is its closest realtive still alive!!

[Tom]

refreshing

[BlondeyeLaurie]

Well, aren't ya'll just interesting people!?! Here I was awake so late and bumped into this neat lil linkyloo which caught MY eye for 2 reasons: 1. my nickname my whole life long has always been "Bird"...a name my late mother gave me when she brought me home from the hospital in a snowy January some 40 years ago. She said she held me in her arms at the big front window and I literally reared up and peered outside at the snowfall....much as a baby bird would when peering from it's nest. 2. I had a very very spiritual experience with a Quaker parrot. Bear with me here and if , for some reason, my tale finds you bored or disbelieving...so be it. My beloved mother died 3 years ago very suddenly...she suffered a massive cerebral aneurysm...my dearest friend and loving mommy's death left me just a mess in truth. It was the most difficult time in my life. I was on "auto pilot" for many many months...I dreamt of her often...cried for her plenty...and prayed about her more. September came and I had a new baby, named after my mother: Ivy Elizabeth. September was mother's BD...another sad "first" since she passed on so I found myself crying that one nite..angry at MY God for our loss...and I asked my Lord God to please give me some sign that my beloved mother was still with us...looking over us...and selfishly enough: I wanted a sign that she knew, in her new realm, about my new daughter. I awoke teh next morning...did my usual "off to school" routine and scurried off with my double stroller and took my oldest 3 children to the bus stop. Down the street I headr a neighbor girlfriend calling my name asking me: Hey Laurie...come here please! So off I went...to Holly's house. She told me that during the last nite's storm a "strange bird" with gorgeous plummage lighted in her yard and she thought of asking me: Bird, what exactly it was. I called...she called...we wagged food and treats...nothing happened...no sight of this avian visitor at all...even after 45 minutes. I left and told Holly to please call me if it returned. I walked the 2 or so blocks to my house and just as I got to my driveway my son Zelan, who was 2 at the time said: Look mommy! and pointed upward to a tree in my front yard....I raised my arm UP to shield my eyes from the morning sun and WHOA!....a very gorgeous tropical looking bird landed on my very arm!!! Suffice it to say, that though I be a bird lover...I was taken aback. This little bird...all bright green and turquoise in plummage just stared at me...and sat on my arm. I walked to the house to call Holly...and she came inside with me still holding her. I kept her...named her Willow...found out plenty about her species and likings and loved her dearly. Willow loved showering with me....watching me do the dishes...she loved pop tarts (cherry only) and of all things: chicken nuggets! She learned to make many noises and sounds and utterances: the vacuum, my son's robot...a toy car....the phone ringing....the clock chiming....the doorbell ringing...teh can opener sound too. She woudl say: Kiss...and peck me on the mouth or cheek. She would every day when seeing my baby say: Hello Baby! She even learned to mimic my then 8 year old daughter's exact laugh. Willow stayed with us as a young bird for only 1 year....to the day. She fell ill that very day one year later...I rushed her to the "exotic pet" vet's office across town...but she died on the way. We miss her plenty but feel very blessed that she came to us. I saved 5 of her tail feathers....1 for each of my children before we buried her in our back yard. I will be making a dream catcher with them this September...in honor of my mother...and her bird...and Willow...and the Weeping Willow...which was my mother's favorite tree...a fond rememberance of prayers answered and loved ones who never leave us. Blessings to all~~~~Laurie

[BlondeyeLaurie]

FYI Tom....the last known Carolina Parakeet that is and was, at our local Zoo was named Martha! Mother and I always visited her display/memorial at the zoo and it always made me feel so very sad that a bird at our zoo was extinct and would never again exist. I think that , for me, visiting Martha was one of my first life lessons in death and conservation. Thank you for the interesting post. Best~~~~Laurie

[Red Metis]

Was the Carolina parakeet treated the same way in every spot it lived? I was looking at a list of birds in Florida and it was on the list. It was listed as exstinct, of course. I just wondered if the same thing that contributed to its exstinction in other places applied here. This listing didn't say when the last bird was sighted or when it was put on the list. I wonder if the Seminoles used its feathers.

[Tom]

well I think that your quesation maybe did the Carolina parakeet get exterminated due to human pressures, the answer would be "yes", but how and why in the various areas may be different.
There was a hybrid bird that needed one Carolina parakeet parent bred to another to create a song bird for the "rich courts" of New Orleans, exactly what the other species was I am not sure but like the Ivory billed wood pecker you never know, we still may have either a bird or for sure it's DNA and like many other victums of humans playing God , one day some inventive person may bring our sacred species back.
As for the use by Seminoles, I really would not bet against it. I have seen many references to the use of this birds images and body parts etc.
I'd like to see the use of simalar feathers by the Eastern Blackfoot people.
Thanx for the great question, happy Holidays.
Tom

[Linda]

What type of bird would have similar feathers, and where could we get them? Is there something commercially available that would be similar? Or, maybe I should ask, what that is commercially available would be the most similar? I made one fringe of goose feathers, about 3" long, on the bottom of a skirt. It looked nice. It's the usual technique for making a dressed feather, suspended from sinew, if you know what I'm talking about, with a bead or two around the quill of the feather. I have another skirt to fringe with turquoise and salmon colors predominating. Talking about the Carolina parakeet something flashed that the colors may be what I'm looking for, for this skirt. I need straight feathers, like tail feathers, for this purpose.

[Tom]

Hello yes there are simalar species out there that have readily available feathers, not all of these small birds are endangered and some are actually out lawed as pets, the Monks parakeet is one of them, and it is very close to the Carolina bird.
It looks asthough it ( Monk) might fill the void left by the our bird, since it can tolerate cold and live on available seeds etc.
Do a small search using the latin names and then a search looking for that bird (that replaces our bird) in a pet breeders directory, avairy etc.
I can get certain feathers up here and the bird keepers are really helpful if you ask them carefully.
Anyway, good luck, let me know how things go.
Tom

[Tom]

Here's some interesting pages re. the Monks or Quaker parakeet, some where back in the first posts one of the sites that I had looked at mentioned that this latter bird could be a replacement bird for the Carolina parakeet., just how closely related these two species are I am not totally sure, however from an art or perhaps art historical point of view I think that it is safe to say that the use of Monks feathers are the closest that we are going to get to finding a replacement feather to be used in traditional forms by the eastern tribes.
The link provided has some really interesting material especially listing wild Monk populations.
http://monkparakeet.com/alt/or.htm
http://invasions.bio.utk.edu/invaders/monk.html

[Tom]

A neat article with image;http: //www.newtownbee.com/Features.asp?s=Features-2005-12-08-13-35-58p1.htm
Invader of the month;http: //invasions.bio.utk.edu/invaders/monk.html

[Tom]

"The best" of Invaders of the Month..
http://quakerville.net/feral/index.asp
This site is great for nesting articles and images, worth a look and a chuckle.
here's more...http://quakerville.net/feral/index.asp

[Linda]

Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Florida
Posts: 99

Was the Carolina parakeet treated the same way in every spot it lived?


I got the feeling that what did the Carolina parakeet in was it's lack of immunities to some microbe that finally did it in.

[Tom]

Where did you read that?
From what I can figure out, most of the populations were thought of in the same way, just a pest., but like everything some folks may have valued it .
iam not sure about all the history, it's not all contained in one web site.
What i would like to see, is some undertaking mabe by the NGS to rebreed this bird through dna introduction I think that it would be easier to do than say remake a mammoth like they were talking about.

[Linda]

I don't remember, it was on one of the links that came up when I googled "Quaker Parakeets" or "Monk Parakeets." It does make sense, though, the populations were threatened by loss of habitat and human predation (it was thought to be a danger to corn crops). But it was that lowly microbes that it is thought, did the bird in ultimately. If this is true, it would probably make it impractical to resurrect, if it's only going to succumb again, unless maybe crossing it with the Quaker would give it a new lease on life.

[JeffDB]

Hi, I am no expert by any means , but I remember reading they are thought to have been hunted into extinction because their feathers were highly valued to adorn women's hats. Of course I don't know for a fact if that is true.I read they always stayed in big flocks and were easy to find. It seems hard for me to believe that some couldn't have survived deep in the forest so maybe the microbe theory is right. I think it would be so great if they could somehow be resurrected and once again the Southeast had its beatiful native parrots back. Not to mention the Passenger Pigeon too. Who knows maybe it'll happen? Thanks, Jeff in STL

[Tom]

here is a link to one of the neatest posters that I have seen in a very long time, I could not get a grip on the price but might be worth checking out.
What ever the interest is in this little bird is I have no idea but it appears to be spreading!
http://www.hmtarts.com/poster.htm

[dovelady]

Hi Tom,

Beautiful poster. :)

It's just a guess, but maybe the renewed interest is just that there were so many of them and the peoples must have used their feathers in their daily lives for either dress or ceremonial reasons.

Barb

[techteach]

I think that I had that kind of bird eating from my hand when I was at the San Diego Zoo. You buy nectar and they eat it from your container when you go into the aviary. I think I even had one on my head too.

Techteach