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April 2018 Bird of the Month: Carolina Parakeet~ Conuropsis carolinensis
This month’s featured bird is the extinct Carolina Parakeet. February 21, 2018 marked the 100th year to the day since the last confirmed Carolina Parakeet died at the Cincinnati Zoo. Unfortunately, the species died off before it received any comprehensive biological study. What little information we have today is derived from some of the early naturalists such as Alexander Wilson, James Audubon, and Frank Chapman, among others.
The Carolina Parakeet was once the only member of the Psittacidae (parrot) family in the eastern United States (The endangered Thick-Billed Parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha) is the only other parrot that was once native to the western United States).
In colonial times, it was common to see large flocks of bright, loudly-squaking Carolina Parakeets throughout much of the eastern and midwestern United States, some accounts as far north as New Jersey. The species was considered very intelligent, sociable, and gregarious. They became popular cage birds as pets in the late 19th and early 20th century. Their life expectancy was up to 35 years in captivity.
The cause of extinction was due to many contributing factors, all stemming from the arrival of European settlers to North America. Early farmers saw the seed and fruit-eating flocks as a major agricultural pest. Hoards of Carolina Parakeets would often destroy entire fields of crops. Regarding the plight of farmers, Audubon wrote,
"...They assail the pear and apple-trees, when the fruit is yet very small and far from being ripe, and this merely for the sake of the seeds. As on the stalks of corn, they alight on the apple-trees of our orchards, or the pear-trees in the gardens, in great numbers; and, as if through mere mischief, pluck off the fruits, open them up to the core, and, disappointed at the sight of the seeds, which are yet soft and of a milky consistence, drop the apple or pear, and pluck another, passing from branch to branch, until the trees which were before so promising, are left completely stripped, like the ship water-logged and abandoned by its crew, floating on the yet agitated waves, after the tempest has ceased..."
The over-shooting of flocks by early farmers, sportsmen, and eventually late 19th century feather hunters was a major downfall for the species. Their "flocking behavior" allowed for not just one, but an entire flock to be wiped out at once. It was instinctual for an entire flock to stay close to an injured or killed member. By the 1830's Audubon began noticing a decline in the species where they had once been common.
Various avian diseases were also a contributing factor to their extinction. These foreign diseases from European farm animals, such as chickens, were able to also wipe out entire populations of the Carolina Parakeet, who had no immunity or ability to fight them.
Like many other animals, the habitat these birds needed to survive was often completely destroyed by Europeans. The mature sycamore-dominated bottomland forests rich with ideal nesting cavities and food were logged and used for farmland or residential space. It has also been hypothesized that the introduction of the honeybee to North America brought even more competition for nest holes. However, nesting behavior was never formally studied, so this is mainly just a guess at yet one more factor contributing to the extinction of the Carolina Parakeet.
Most information we have today not only comes from early American naturalists, but from the research writings of Daniel McKinley. These papers appeared between 1959 and 1985 in scholarly publications. Another great source of preserved information comes from the 1979 interviews of Rod Chardur with senior citizens in central Florida who had first-hand accounts with the Carolina Parakeet earlier in the century. The Central Florida swamps were believed to be the last refuge where the very last flocks could be found (also possibly the Okefenokee in southern Georgia). The Carolina Parakeet was "officially" labelled extinct by the IUCN in 1939. There had been a few claims of sightings since, however, none were able to be proven.
Today, the closest living relatives to this species include the neotropical Jandaya Parakeet (Aratinga jandaya)
The endangered Sun Parakeet (Aratinga solstitialis)
and the Nanday or Black-Headed Parakeet (Aratinga nenday)
*Click each photo to find out more about each species.
The story of the Carolina Parakeet is an example of what happens when people don't take native species into consideration when establishing themselves in a new location. Although sad, this experience has helped us understand the importance of land conservation and our overall impact on the environment. It's unfortunate for the Carolina Parakeet that we learned this just a little too late to save the species.
In honor of April's "Bird of the Month," all Carolina Parakeet items will be 30% off until April 30th! Shop now!
Sources used for this blog include:
