NATURAL HISTORY OF THE MONK PARAKEET IN HYDE PARK, CHICAGO

-We studied Monk Parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) in Hyde Park, a residential community in Chicago, Illinois. In April 1992, 64 birds were counted at 26 nests in trees, on utility poles, and on an antenna tower. The population increased to 143 birds in July after nestlings fledged. The following spring, 95 birds were still present at the beginning of the breeding season. Both regionally and locally, the dispersion of nests was clumped. Nesting structures contained one to seven active chambers. The parakeets usually foraged in groups of two to 55 birds on plant buds, weeds, and fruits and berries of ornamental shrubs and tress. During the coldest months of the year, December to February, the birds fed almost exclusively on bird seed at backyard feeders. The generality of the Monk Parakeet's diet, their ability to adapt to a variety of habitats, and their apparent great potential for rapid population growth suggest that they will continue their range expansion and population increase in the United States. Received 22 Aug. 1994, accepted I Feb. 1995. The Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) was introduced into the United States in the late 1960s. A removal program was carried out by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from 1970-1975 (Neidermyer and Hickey 1977), but the species is now widespread in distribution and locally abundant in many localities. On the 1992-1993 Audubon Christmas Bird Counts (CBC), 1343 individuals were recorded in seven states: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, New York, Oregon, and Texas (LeBaron 1993). Monk Parakeets are also known to occur in six other states as well: Alabama, Colorado, Louisiana, New Jersey, Ohio, and Rhode Island (Enser 1992; Summerour 1990; Pruett-Jones, unpubl. records). The Monk Parakeet now appears to be the most abundant and widespread naturalized, non-native parrot species in the United States (see Lever 1987). Despite their expanding distribution, Monk Parakeets have received little study in the United States. This lack of research is noteworthy considering the status of the species as an agricultural pest in parts of South America (Bump 1971, Bucher et al. 1992). Additionally, the Monk Parakeet is unique among psittacids in that it builds a stick nest, the nests of several pairs may form a large compound nest, and individuals use the nest for roosting throughout the year (Forshaw 1989). The Monk Parakeet is thus a species that should prove extremely interesting, from a behavI Dept. of Ecology and Evolution, Univ. of Chicago, 1101 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637. 2 Present address: Dept. of Biology, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599. To whom correspondence should be sent.