Monk Parakeet

Looks how to spot one

Feathered; stocky medium parakeet with a long, tapering tail

A sturdy, bright green parakeet with a soft pale grey forehead, face and chest, the chest feathers edged darker so they look scalloped. The belly shades from light green to yellowish, the flight feathers are deep blue and the long tail narrows to a point. The beak is orange-toned. Males and females look alike, with females a little smaller.124

Personality what they are like

Quakers are sociable, clever and full of chatter. A hand-raised bird can become as tame and cuddly as any companion parrot, and it loves being included in family life. Many start talking early and go on to learn dozens of words and phrases, which is remarkable for a bird of this size. They are also naturally loud, with calls that carry well, so they suit households where a lively voice is welcome. A charming quirk is their habit of bobbing and quivering, which is one of the stories behind the name Quaker.41

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Moderate to high. It enjoys daily out-of-cage time with its people, trick training rewarded with treats or praise, and a steady supply of things to chew, shred and build with.4

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

An enthusiastic chewer, so keep it supplied with safe chew toys and natural branches, which also help keep beak and nails in trim. Offer a shallow dish or light spray for bathing. Being a natural builder, it often likes to arrange nesting material and can become protective of its cage, so a calm routine around the cage helps.41

Home where they are happiest

A sturdy, roomy parrot cage with several perches, plenty of chewable toys and safe branches, and space for daily supervised time out. It copes with a wider temperature range than most parrots, since it is one of the few temperate-zone species. Check local laws first, as ownership is restricted in some places.413

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Wild birds eat seeds (especially thistle and grass seeds), fruit, nuts, blossoms, leaf buds and occasionally insects. At home a pelleted base plus fresh vegetables, fruit and healthy table foods makes a balanced diet.234

Company who they like around

Highly social; in the wild it lives in flocks and shares huge colony nests. As a pet it needs regular company from its family or another Quaker and does not do well when left alone for long stretches.43

The story where it all began

The French naturalist Buffon described the monk parakeet in 1780, and Pieter Boddaert gave it the scientific name Psittacus monachus in 1783, later moved by Bonaparte to its own genus, Myiopsitta, in 1854. The genus name joins the Greek word for mouse with the word for parrot, a nod to its mouse-grey face and chest, while 'monk' and 'Quaker' both refer to that sober grey 'hood'. Between the 1960s and 1980s thousands were exported from South America to the United States as pets. Some escaped or were released, and by the early 1970s small free-living colonies had formed in several states, with Chicago's first known nest recorded in 1973. Similar colonies grew in Europe, especially in Spain, so today this South American bird is a familiar sight in cities such as Barcelona, Madrid, Brooklyn and Chicago. At the same time its talent for speech and its friendly nature made it one of the best known medium-sized pet parrots.14

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List

Least Concern, with a population described as unknown but increasing.2

CITES

Listed on Appendix II.2

Taxonomy

First described by Buffon in 1780 and given the name Psittacus monachus by Pieter Boddaert in 1783; moved to the genus Myiopsitta by Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1854. Three subspecies are recognised (monachus, calita and cotorra). The cliff parakeet of the Andean foothills was split off as a separate species in 2015.1

Legal note (USA)

Keeping monk parakeets is banned or restricted in a number of US states, so owners should check local rules before buying one.1