Monk Parakeet (also known as Quaker Parrot)

A medium-sized parrot, mostly green with a distinctive grey forehead and breast. They are famous for their communal stick nests, which are unique among parrots. They have loud, grating calls and bright blue flight feathers visible during their swift, direct flight.

Base is white/greyish transitioning to a pale, lime-green wash with a darker olive-grey or brownish-grey tip or sub-terminal band. Mentum/chest feathers often show this greyish scaling.

The distal portion is pennaceous (tightly interlocked), while the proximal base is plumulaceous (fluffy and downy) for insulation.

Thin, translucent white rachis with high flexibility. Barbs emerge at an acute angle, becoming more sparse and plumose at the quill end.

Smooth and slightly waxy texture on the green portion (structural color), very soft and silky at the downy base.

Likely from the breast, neck, or flank area. The soft downy base and characteristic color wash are common in ventral contour feathers.

Pale green/lime coloration combined with a greyish-brown tip and a large, fluffy white downy base.

Open woodlands and agricultural areas in native range; highly adaptable to urban parks and suburban gardens in introduced populations.

Native to subtropical South America (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay). Successfully introduced to North America (e.g., Florida, Chicago, NYC) and Europe.

In its native range, they are important seed dispersers; in introduced ranges, they may compete with native cavity-nesters or impact local flora.

Carolina Parakeet (extinct), various Pyrrhura conures. Distinction: The Monk Parakeet's specific grey-to-green gradient is unique.

Monk Parakeets are the only parrots that build massive, multi-chambered stick nests that can weigh over 200 pounds and house dozens of pairs.

Commonly kept as pets ('Quaker Parrots'). In some regions, they are considered agricultural pests or invasive species that damage electrical infrastructure with their nests.

Look for these near large stick nests in parks or around power transformers where colonies roost.

The feather appears freshly molted; the barbs are intact and the colors are vibrant, though the downy base is slightly matted from surface contact.