Arthropods in Monk Parakeet nests (Aves: Psittacidae)

The Monk Parakeet in New York

Vocal tract articulation revisited: the case of the monk parakeet.

Birdsong and human speech share many features with respect to vocal learning and development. However, the vocal production mechanisms have long been considered to be distinct. The vocal organ of songbirds is more complex than the human larynx, leading to the hypothesis that vocal variation in birdsong originates mainly at the sound source, while in humans it is primarily due to vocal tract fil...

Phylogeny and Biogeography of the Amazona Ochrocephala (aves: Psittacidae) Complex

•We present a phylogenetic analysis of relationships among members of the Amazona ochrocephala species complex of parrots, a broadly distributed group in Middle and South America that has been a "taxonomic headache." Mitochondrial DNA sequence data are used to infer phylogenetic relationships among most of the named subspecies in the complex. Sequence-based phylogenies show that Middle American...

Nest-building behavior of Monk Parakeets and insights into potential mechanisms for reducing damage to utility poles

The Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) commonly uses utility poles as a substrate for building large, bulky nests. These nests often cause fires and electric power outages, creating public safety risks and increasing liability and maintenance costs for electric companies. Previous research has focused on lethal methods and chemical contraception to prevent nesting on utility poles and electric...

Gastrointestinal and external parasites of Enicognathus ferrugineus and Enicognathus leptorhynchus (Aves, Psittacidae) in Chile.

Parasite species are important components of biodiversity, as they provide valuable information about host health, evolutionary relationships, population structures, trophic interactions, the existence of environmental stresses, and climatic conditions. With the aim of describing the parasites associated with parrots of the genus Enicognathus Gray 1840 from central Chile, thirteen austral parak...