Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) | Photos, Calls and ID

LCLeast ConcernOmnivore

UrbanDomed nestMedium · 120 g

What the Monk Parakeet sounds like

Sonogram of the Monk Parakeet: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.

Recorded by Tanguy Loïs · Alarm call, call, flight call · Comarca Metropolitana de Sevilla (near Seville), Seville, Andalusia, Spain · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The nominate subspecies of this parrot is 29 cm (11 in) long on average, with a 48-centimetre (19 in) wingspan, and weighs 100 g (3.5 oz). Females tend to be 10–20% smaller, but can only be reliably sexed by DNA or feather testing. Monk parakeets display very subtle sexual dimorphism in the colouration of their crown and wing coverts, but this is not noticeable to the human eye. It has bright-green upperparts. The forehead and breast are pale grey with darker scalloping and the rest of the underparts are very light-green to yellow. The remiges are dark blue, and the tail is long and tapering.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Monk Parakeet

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is October, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Monk Parakeet

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 26 countries with regular records, and 9 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Recorded as a rare visitor in United Kingdom, Netherlands, Taiwan, Morocco, Canada, Sweden, Germany, Hong Kong SAR China, Guadeloupe.

About the Monk Parakeet

The monk parakeet, also known as the monk parrot or Quaker parrot, is a species of true parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is a small to medium, bright-green parrot with a greyish breast and greenish-yellow abdomen. Its average lifespan is approximately 15 years. It originates from the temperate to subtropical areas of South America. Self-sustaining feral populations occur in many places, mainly in areas of similar climate in North America and Europe.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Cliff ParakeetMyiopsitta luchsiThe cliff parakeet is 30 cm (12 in) long and weighs about 120 g (4.2 oz).

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