Yellow-chevroned parakeet, Brotogeris chiriri
Native to: Central South America
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Species Description: The yellow-chevroned parakeet is a medium-sized bird, mostly green in color, but with yellow underparts and outer secondary wing covers. The parakeets are very sociable and are almost always seen with another individual. They inhabit open woodland and gallery forests. In the U.S., they have been observed making nesting cavities in palm trees and feeding on fruits, seeds, and flowers.
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Impact in California: The parakeets were popular pets in the late twentieth century. Between 1977 and 1990, more than 74,000 birds were imported to the U.S. [1], and feral populations can now be found in California and Florida. The parakeets are considered agricultural pests in their native range, but luckily, they do not yet seem to pose any notable threats in California.
Yellow-chevroned parakeet
(Photo: Carlos Henrique Luz Nunes de Almeida)
Data source:
Species records provided by eBird.
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Acknowledgements:
We would like to thank Ashley Campfield for her research assistance.
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References:
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Brightsmith et al. (2017). In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, Editor). [link]