Patriot Parrots

In the last episode we said there were no parrots in the United States of America. But that was only a half truth. A better truth would have been to say that once upon a time there was a parrot, the Carolina Parakeet that went extinct about 100 years. And in its place today there is an invasive species, the Monk Parakeet. So what is the story of these two birds, why did one die while the other has thrived? Today we are going to try and find out.

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Links:

• Carolina Parakeet: https://ebird.org/species/carpar/
• Why the Carolina Parakeet went extinct: https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/carolina-parakeet-extinction-mystery
• Monk Parakeet: https://ebird.org/species/monpar
• Monk nest: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/parrots-are-taking-over-the-world/
• Parakeet panic: https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/cautionary-tales/when-parakeets-plundered-new-york