First off – South American parakeets in Los Angeles? Yes please.
Habitat
Originating around the southern end of Brazil, they’ve established footholds in a few places across the states. As the story goes, from 1977 to 1990, these birds were imported in place of the then-disallowed White Winged Parakeet. Specifically, 74,000. Apparently some of them got loose.
Now they live on in California and Florida. The Florida population is doing a bit better, while the California population appears to be decreasing. Other reports say the population here around LA and the San Fernando Valley are increasing. Time will tell!
They’ve been confused and mis-classified as White Winged Parakeets and Canary-winged Parakeets.
Specifically, picking bits of rind off the fruit on a Floss Silk Tree.
Habit
The birds feed on seeds, flowers, fruit, and buds. Some say they have a desire for figs.
They nest in dead palm fronds or tree-based termite nests, laying 4-5 eggs. After hatching, they form a community that stays together until the next breeding season.
Yellow Chevroned Parakeets (there’s gotta be a shorter way to say their name) are social birds. Pairs stay together almost constantly. I’m glad my observation confirmed that! (Or fell victim to confirmation bias) At any rate, I’m going to try to find the pair again when I go back. They’ll supposedly be found in these Silk Floss trees pretty often as long as there’s fruit, so I should have a chance for a little while. South Coast Botanic Garden has quite a few of these spread out throughout the park – I’ll check each one carefully now that I have a specific bird to find.
They make a few different calls, none of which I was able to hear the last time I saw them. (Eventually I’ll upgrade this site to allow the placement of audio recordings).
There’s a sound for takings off, a sound for flying around, and a sound while eating. I’ll see what I can identify – Beauty of Birds has a wonderful description of them.
I’d seen these birds previously near the marsh (a little closer to the entrance of the gardens).
Physical Characteristics
They weigh only about 2.5 oz! I’m continually impressed by the sheer lightness of birds. And that’s for this 8-9 inch bird. Why are chickens so darn heavy?
The males and females look almost exactly alike. It takes either an autopsy or DNA to verify.
Probably one of the most well-known visual characteristics – one for which it is named – is the yellow pattern on the front edge of each wing.
Links to Outside Information
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you had a pleasant time checking out the plants. If you’re in the mood for more nature, please stay in touch!
Mindful Foliage 