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Here’s an interesting bit of research that I will be expanding on soon,
http://www.georgehoward.net/parakeet.htm
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
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.
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.
http://www.carolinanature.com/birds/capapapi.html
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?
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.
hey Collins here an answer to your question, pretty close to each other I’d say.
http://wbu.com/chipperwoods/photos/mdove.htm
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!!
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.
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
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
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.
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