Monk Parakeet

Myiopsitta monachus

While birds can make fantastic pets, exotic bird species have the potential to negatively impact our native flora and fauna should they be allowed to escape into the environment.

They also have the potential to spread disease, damage agricultural crops, out compete native species and cause damage to natural spaces through over population. The risk of this can be minimised through secure bird keeping practises and reporting wild populations of exotic bird species, such as the monk parakeet, to Agriculture Victoria.

How to identify a Monk Parakeet

The monk or quaker parrot is a 30cm long grey/green parrot. Numerous colour variations have been developed by the pet trade, including a blue and yellow form.

About the Monk Parakeet

Habitat

They survive in a range of habitats including open forest, woodland, scrub, orchards, ranch land, parks and suburban areas.

Behaviour

Monk parakeets are sedentary birds and do not migrate. They are opportunistic feeders with a generalist diet which can include seeds, fruit, berries, nuts, blossom, insects and larvae. In its introduced range, particularly during winter, Monk parakeets are known to survive on seed supplied in domestic bird feeders.

Wild birds live in small flocks of 10-15 birds.

During the breeding season, these birds build large colonial nests from sticks and twigs gathered from other trees. Breeding pairs lay 5-12 eggs which hatch in around 24 days. Wild birds typically nest only once per year but up to 6 clutches per year are possible in captivity.

Distribution

Monk parakeets are native to temperate and subtropical South America and can be found in Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. It’s popularity as a pet has led to many escapes and intentional releases. They have established naturalised populations in many countries in Europe, the USA and Central America.

Responsible Keeping of exotic birds

Monk parakeetsare commonly kept cage birds in Victoria, and it is not unusual to see reports of birds that have escaped. Escaped or released birds could present a risk of pest establishment. Please adhere to the following guidelines if you choose to keep exotic parrots;

• Upgrade to the largest indoor cage available, or build a secure double-doored outdoor aviary,
• Research the dietary needs of the particular species and provide a balanced and varied diet,
• Consult regularly with an avian veterinarian and seek assistance at the first signs of illness or injury,
• When free-flying your bird indoors, double check that doors and windows are shut,
• Consider leg banding and microchipping your bird,
• Do not allow them to escape or intentionally release them into the wild
• Consider keeping native Australian species as an alternative to exotic species.

If seen in the wild in Victoria, please report the sighting to Agriculture Victoria via our online reporting tool. Or by emailing: highrisk.invasiveanimals@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Pest Risk and Impact

Monk Parakeets have been assessed as an extreme pest risk if established in Australia due to a high climate match, generalist diet, capacity to cause serious damage to agricultural crops and a history of establishment of exotic populations in many overseas countries.

As opportunistic feeders, Monk parakeets are a major pest to agricultural crops both in their native and introduced range.  Reports of damage to grain, sunflowers, rice fields, peach, pear and citrus trees and other cereal crops are common overseas.

Monk parakeets can indirectly impact native species by consuming the fruits of invasive plants and spreading them to new areas. Parakeets may also harbour pests and disease which may spread to native animals and humans.

They are also known to utilise man-made structures such as pylons and building eaves in which they construct their nest. These communal nests can sometimes cause damage to electric transmission lines and other infrastructure, causing power outages and increasing maintenance costs for utility companies.

Monk Parakeets can also be considered a pest in urban environments due to their loud metallic sounding squawks and screams.

Lookalikes/Similar exotic species