This article is part of the Feathered Fridays series, a spotlight on different bird species found at your airports or aerodrome spaces.
Image: Kacau Oliveira
Risk Level: Low Risk
Overview
This green, medium-sized parrot reaches up to 29cm with a weight of up to 100g. Similar species in southeast Asia include the red-breasted parakeet and the long-tailed parakeet. All three species are around the same size with green plumage; Monk parakeets can be differentiated from other green parakeet species by their grey face, breast, and throat, while long-tailed parakeets have red faces and red-breasted parakeets have a pinkish-red breast.
Range
Monk parakeets are native to southern South American countries like Argentina and Brazil. Because of the pet trade, this charismatic bird species has been introduced to Europe, Asia, and North America. Large feral populations can be seen in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece, the United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Mexico, South Korea, Japan, and Singapore among other countries.
Behavior
This social bird can flock in colonies that can become very large. Monk parakeets are a monogamous bird that breeds between October and February. Instead of making multiple small nests, the colony of parakeets will build one large nest that includes multiple pairs. This results in large nests that can include other species such as ducks and small mammals. Like other parrot species, monk parakeets can live long lives at about 20 to 30 years old.
Monk Parakeets prefer open scrublands and grasslands, palm grooves, and urban areas. They prefer habitats with low rainfall compared to other tropical parrot species.
In the Airfield
Even though we classify the monk parakeet as a low-risk bird in the airfield, their grass-dwelling and “friendly towards humans” behavior make them a species of note for airport biologists. Monk parakeets are unique in the parrot world because they stick nests instead of using tree holes. This can be a particularly troublesome problem for airports because they have been known to build their nests in manmade structures like lampposts and fences. Monk parakeets breed in colonies, sometimes building very large nests containing multiple pairs. Managing the parakeet nests can be somewhat tedious and labour intensive as nest removal is the most effective technique. At the first note of a monk parakeet nest, steps should be taken to remove the nest before it becomes a larger nest and an even larger problem.
Monk parakeets are some of the only parakeets to forage on the ground. They can frequently be seen in open-grassy areas foraging for seeds, berries, blossoms, buds, and nuts; but invasive populations have started switching up their diet to include crops like corn, rice, sunflower, and wheat. This can be a problem for rural airports, working with local farmers and land owners on their crop schedules can help a airport minimize parakeets foraging on freshly harvested crops.
Monk parakeets have adapted very well to urban environments. Because introduced, feral populations start due to the pet trade, airports are especially susceptible to a resident monk parakeet population. Populations have been observed in airports as far north as O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois. These smart birds can be temporarily scared off through acoustical deterrent systems, stockwhips, and pyrotechnics.
Identifying which species of parrot and bird in general can help determine a species management program.
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