Monk Parakeet Diet

Monk parakeets have simple cage diets but can cause problems in the wild.

Popular as caged birds, monk parakeets are gentle, easy-to-train birds with simple diets when kept as pets. In the wild, they are considered by some to be problematic for their garden and field damage. Monk parakeets prefer lowland areas such as orchards, savannas, woods and farmlands inhabited by humans. Always following civilization, the monk parakeet is at the center of controversy concerning its place in the wild.

Features

Native to Brazil and central Argentina, monk parakeets are found all over the world and are part of the parrot species. The monk parrot has a green body, grayish-blue neck, forehead, breast, face and chest, and blue and yellow coloring. Twelve inches in height, the monk parakeet is known in the parrot family as the only member who can build a breeding nest, which is a highly-advanced, two-room endeavor. As pets, monk parakeets were introduced to the United States and Europe from South America in the 1960s.

City Dweller Diet

According to the University of Tennessee's Institute for Biological Invasions website, the monk parakeet commonly dines on ornamental or exotic fruit and seed-bearing urban garden plants, which can be irritating to homeowners. The product of irresponsible pet owners releasing monk parakeets into the wild in the 1960s, feral populations of monk parakeets are able to live on bird feeder seeds and seed-producing garden plants as a year-round diet source.

Farming Worries

While the monk parakeet has not destroyed European or North American agriculture like other wild birds, many believe it eventually will become a threat, according to the Institute for Biological Invasions website. As a measure against this, the U.S. Forest Service attempted to eliminate the monk parakeet populations from the wild, but failed. Since the attempt, the parakeet monk has become a major cause for many environmental and animal rights groups.

Farm Unfriendly-Diet

In the wild, monk parakeets are granivorous, or primarily seed-eaters. Common seeds in the monk parakeet diet include seeds from the Poaceae, Asteraceae and Cyperacea families, which are available year-round. In February and September, the monk parakeet dines on maize and sunflower seeds. To many farmers' dismay, monk parakeets have been known to eat wheat, barley, millet, fruits, nuts, berries, rice and sorghum crops. The most damaged crop is maize. In the Buenos Aires Province of Argentina, monk parrots have brought agricultural problems for more than 60 years, but many blame the farming industry's practices and not the monk parrot.

Cage Diet

When kept as a pet, monk parakeets need mixed grains, fruit, carrots and green vegetables.

References

• Bird-Breeds: Monk Parakeet
• University of Tennessee Institute for Biological Invasions: Monk Parakeet