Birdsong field guide
Carolina Parakeet
Conuropsis carolinensis
The Carolina Parakeet was the only parrot species native to the eastern United States, distinguished by its vibrant green plumage and iconic yellow-and-orange head.
What it sounds like
A loud, grating, and repetitive shrill scream, often described as a sharp 'kyi-kyi-kyi-kyi' given frequently during flight.
Reference call, compare with what you heard
No reference call found yet · Xeno-canto
Field notes
- It is believed to have been toxic to predators because it consumed cocklebur seeds, which contain the toxin carboxyatractyloside.
- The species exhibited a fatal social behavior where flock members would return to a wounded bird, making them easy targets for hunters.
- The last known individual, a male named Incas, died at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1918, in the same cage where the last passenger pigeon had died four years earlier.
- They were unique among parrots for their cold-hardiness, with some populations wintering as far north as New York and the Great Lakes.
- Extinction was likely caused by a combination of habitat loss, the feather trade, and persecution as agricultural pests in orchards.
Habitat
Mature riverine forests, cypress swamps, and densely wooded bottomlands.
Range
Eastern, Midwest, and Southeast United States, from the Atlantic coast to the edge of the Great Plains.
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