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Henry Sowell

Vol. I · Est. 2026

Pl. LXXIII
Field-journal plate: Monk Parakeet
The Monk Parakeet plate as rendered on the e-ink frame
As rendered on the frame

The Birds · Plate LXXIII

Monk Parakeet

Myiopsitta monachus

Psittacidae · Taxon 19349

Length28–30 cm (11–11.8 in)
Wingspan48–52 cm (18.9–20.5 in)
Weight90–140 g (3.2–4.9 oz)

Field marks

  1. Bright-green upperparts with a paler yellow-green belly
  2. Gray forehead, face, throat, and breast with a scalloped texture
  3. Stout, pale-pink hooked bill and dark-brown eye
  4. Gray legs and feet
  5. Pointed green wings with blue outer flight feathers
  6. Large-headed profile with a long, tapered green tail

HabitatDry, open savannas and grasslands with scattered trees, scrub forest, and palm groves; also adaptable to farmland, orchards, and urban or suburban areas with trees or elevated structures for nesting.

BehaviorHighly social and noisy; travels and feeds in flocks, eating seeds, nuts, fruits, and greens in trees or on the ground. Builds bulky communal stick nests with separate chambers and flies directly with rapid wingbeats.

Palette

bright leaf greensoft grayyellow-greenflight-feather bluepale shell pink