Abstract
The American Federation of Aviculture has awarded $ I ,560 to Stephen T. Emlen, Professor of Animal Behavior at Cornell University, who is currently studying an established colony of escaped Quaker parakeets in the state of New York. The ultimate goal of this research is to develop natural control measures for Quaker parakeets, which are a significant crop pest in South America and a potential pest in the United States.
This delightful but noisy parrot is a native of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and according to many reports on feral parrots, is now making a valiant effort to take up permanent residence in the United States and Puerto Rico.
The Quaker parakeet, or monk parakeet as it is also known, is eleven inches in length with a grey face and breast and a green body and is the only parrot type bird which builds a community nest of twigs in the branches of trees. Inaccessible sites at the end of the branches and high above the ground are usually chosen. The nests of individual pairs are built together until the mess of material becomes quite large with the birds continuously repairing and adding to the community nest until it can weigh as much as several hundred pounds. Most parrots nest in existing tree cavities and in single pairs.
Professor Emlen said upon receipt of his grant from AFA, "I am interested in unraveling the 'rules' that govern behavioral interactions in complex animal societies. Through the generosity of the American Federation of Aviculture, I will be studying these unique parrots, which live in colonies of 15-30 birds in a large...