Carolina Parakeet Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum Common Name: Carolina Parakeet Classification: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Psittaciformes Family: Psittacidae Genus: Conuropsis Species: carolinensis Museum Location: Display Cabinet 601 Description: Now extinct, the Carolina parakeet was approximately the size of a common grackle, about 13 inches long and weighing 10 ounces. They were mostly green in color, with bright yellow heads and orange foreheads and faces. Though the sexes resembled each other, males were slightly larger than the females of the species. In captivity, Carolina parakeets could live to reach the age of 30. Habitat and Range: Carolina parakeets inhabited deciduous forests bordering swamps and rivers. They also lived on farmland. Carolina parakeets were common from southern Florida to North Carolina. They were also found as far north as New York and as far west as eastern Colorado. They had also been spotted in the Great Lakes region, with recorded sightings in Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio. Diet: Carolina parakeets ate seeds, like those of thistles and cockleburs. They also enjoyed flower buds and insects. The manner in which they ate-ripping unripened fruit off the tree, spoiling it for sale, and their consumption of grain crops made them a serious nuisance to farmers. Behavior: Carolina parakeets were highly gregarious, traveling in flocks of 100-1,000 birds. Thirty birds could be found sharing one nest. They were not migratory. They fed in the morning and at sunset, and strengthened their bonds through mutual preening. Communication: Carolina parakeets were very vocal birds, crying out when a predator was spotted or to locate an injured member of the flock. Their calls could be heard from miles away. Reproduction: Breeding in springtime, Carolina parakeets laid 2-5 light greenish-white eggs in a nest in a tree cavity. They were incubated, probably by the female, for 23 days. Both parents cared for the young, which were able to fledge by the time they were 18 or 19 days old. Species Status: The Carolina parakeet is extinct. Slaughter by farmers who viewed this bird as a menace to their crops, overwhelming loss of forest habitat and the hunting of these birds for their bright green plumes doomed them to extinction by the 1920s. The Jurica Museum has an especially well preserved specimen in its collection. Interesting Facts: These birds were often found hovering over an injured flock member that had been shot by a farmer. This unfortunate behavior allowed for even more slaughter; with the whole flock coming to one bird's aid, farmers could decimate the entire flock in mere minutes. By: Suzy Bartoz