scholarly journals Nesting innovations allow population growth in an invasive population of rose-ringed parakeets

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dailos Hernández-Brito ◽  
José L Tella ◽  
Guillermo Blanco ◽  
Martina Carrete
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Behavioral Plasticity ◽  
Monk Parakeet ◽  
Tree Cavities ◽  
Myiopsitta Monachus ◽  
Psittacula Krameri ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Nesting Association

Abstract Certain traits of recipient environments, such as the availability of limiting resources, strongly determine the establishment success and spread of non-native species. These limitations may be overcome through behavioral plasticity, allowing them to exploit alternative resources. Here, we show how a secondary cavity nester bird, the rose-ringed parakeet Psittacula krameri, innovates its nesting behavior as a response to the shortage of tree cavities for nesting in its invasive range in Tenerife (Canary Islands). We observed that some breeding pairs excavated their own nest cavities in palms, thus becoming primary cavity nester, whereas others occupied nests built with wood sticks by another invasive species, the monk parakeet Myiopsitta monachus. The use of these novel nesting strategies increased the number of breeding pairs by up to 52% over 6 years, contributing to a 128.8% increase of the whole population. Innovative nests were located at greater heights above ground and were more aggregated around conspecifics but did not result in greater breeding success than natural cavities. Occupation of monk parakeet colonies by rose-ringed parakeets also benefited the former species through a protective-nesting association against nest predators. Our results show how an invasive species innovate nesting behaviors and increase nest-site availability in the recipient environment, thus facilitating its population growth and invasion process. Potential behavioral innovations in other invasive rose-ringed parakeet populations may be overlooked, and should be considered for effective management plans.

scholarly journals Microsatellite characterisation and sex-typing in two invasive parakeet species, the monk parakeet Myiopsitta monachus and ring-necked parakeet Psittacula krameri

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 1543-1550
Author(s):  
Francesca S. E. Dawson Pell ◽  
Ben J. Hatchwell ◽  
Alba Ortega-Segalerva ◽  
Deborah A. Dawson ◽  
Gavin J. Horsburgh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Microsatellite Loci ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Invasion Success ◽  
Sex Typing ◽  
Monk Parakeet ◽  
Myiopsitta Monachus ◽  
Psittacula Krameri ◽  
Scale Population ◽  
Negative Impacts

AbstractInvasive species can have wide-ranging negative impacts, and an understanding of the process and success of invasions can be vital to determine management strategies, mitigate impacts and predict range expansions of such species. Monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) and ring-necked parakeets (Psittacula krameri) are both widespread invasive species, but there has been little research into the genetic and social structure of these two species despite the potential links with invasion success. The aim of this study was to isolate novel microsatellite loci from the monk parakeet and characterise them in both monk and ring-necked parakeets in order to facilitate future investigations into their behaviour and population ecology. Sex-typing markers were also tested in both species. Of the 20 microsatellite loci assessed in 24 unrelated monk parakeets, 16 successfully amplified and were polymorphic displaying between 2 and 14 alleles (mean = 8.06). Expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.43 to 0.93 and observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.23 to 0.96. Nine of the 20 loci also successfully amplified and were polymorphic in the ring-necked parakeet, displaying between 2 and 10 alleles. Suitable markers to sex both species and a Z-linked microsatellite locus were identified. A multiplex marker set was validated for monk parakeets. These novel microsatellite loci will facilitate fine and broad-scale population genetic analyses of these two widespread invasive species.

scholarly journals The Number and Distribution of Introduced and Naturalized Parrots

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 412
Author(s):  
Carlos E. Calzada Preston ◽  
Stephen Pruett-Jones
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
The United States ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Native Range ◽  
Monk Parakeet ◽  
Myiopsitta Monachus ◽  
Psittacula Krameri ◽  
Breeding Populations ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Parrot Species

Parrots have been transported and traded by humans for at least the last 2000 years and this trade continues unabated today. This transport of species has involved the majority of recognized parrot species (300+ of 382 species). Inevitably, some alien species either escape captivity or are released and may establish breeding populations in the novel area. With respect to parrots, established but alien populations are becoming common in many parts of the world. In this review, we attempt to estimate the total number of parrot species introduced into the wild in non-native areas and assess how many of these have self-sustaining breeding populations. Based the public databases GAVIA, eBird, and iNaturalist, 166 species of Psittaciformes have been introduced (seen in the wild) into 120 countries or territories outside of the native range. Of these, 60 species are naturalized, and an additional 11 species are breeding in at least one country outside of their native range (86 countries or territories total). The Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri) and Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) are the most widely distributed and successful of the introduced parrots, being naturalized in 47 and 26 countries or territories, respectively. Far and away, the United States and its territories support the greatest number of naturalized parrots, with 28 different species found in either the continental US, or Hawaii or Puerto Rico. Naturalized species as well as urbanized native species of parrots are likely to continue increasing in numbers and geographical range, and detailed studies are needed to both confirm species richness in each area as well mitigate potential ecological impacts and conflicts with humans.

scholarly journals The Role of Monk Parakeets as Nest-Site Facilitators in Their Native and Invaded Areas

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 683
Author(s):  
Dailos Hernández-Brito ◽  
Martina Carrete ◽  
Guillermo Blanco ◽  
Pedro Romero-Vidal ◽  
Juan Carlos Senar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Interspecific Interactions ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Monk Parakeet ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Myiopsitta Monachus

While most of the knowledge on invasive species focuses on their impacts, little is known about their potential positive effects on other species. Invasive ecosystem engineers can disrupt recipient environments; however, they may also facilitate access to novel resources for native species. The monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) is a worldwide invader and the only parrot that builds its own communal nests, which can be used by other species. However, the ecological effects of these interspecific interactions are barely known. We compared the role of the monk parakeet as a nest-site facilitator in different rural and urban areas, both invaded and native, across three continents and eight breeding seasons. A total of 2690 nests from 42 tenant species, mostly cavity-nesting birds, were recorded in 26% of 2595 monk parakeet nests. Rural and invaded areas showed the highest abundance and richness of tenant species. Multispecies communal nests triggered interspecific aggression between the monk parakeet host and its tenants, but also a cooperative defense against predators. Despite the positive effects for native species, monk parakeets also facilitate nesting opportunities to other non-native species and may also transmit diseases to tenants, highlighting the complexity of biotic interactions in biological invasions.

scholarly journals Distribution patterns of invasive Monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) in an urban habitat

2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-117
Author(s):  
R. Rodríguez–Pastor ◽  
◽  
J. C. Senar ◽  
A. Ortega ◽  
J. Faus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Urban Habitat ◽  
Urban Habitats ◽  
Monk Parakeet ◽  
Landscape Characteristics ◽  
Myiopsitta Monachus ◽  
Preferred Habitat ◽  
Marked Preference

Several invasive species have been shown to have a marked preference for urban habitats. The study of the variables responsible for the distribution of these species within urban habitats should allow to predict which environmental variables are indicative of preferred habitat, and to design landscape characteristics that make these areas less conducive to these species. The Monk parakeet Myiopsitta monachus is an invasive species in many American and European countries, and cities are one of its most usual habitats in invaded areas. The aim of this paper was to identify the main factors that determine distribution of the Monk parakeet in Barcelona, one of the cities in the world with the highest parakeet density. We defined our model based on eight preselected variables using a generalized linear model (GLZ) and evaluated the strength of support for each model using the AIC–based multi–model inference approach. We used parakeet density as a dependent variable, and an analysis restricted to occupied neighbourhoods provided a model with two key variables to explain the distribution of the species. Monk parakeets were more abundant in neighbourhoods with a high density of trees and a high percentage of people over 65 years. This is interpreted by the fact that parakeets use trees as food sources and support for the nests, and that older people often feed the species. Data support the ‘human–activity’ hypothesis to explain how invasive species can successfully establish in a non–native habitat, and stress how limiting food resources, especially food supplied by humans, may be the easiest way to exert some control on Monk parakeet populations.

scholarly journals Diet to tissue discrimination factors for the blood and feathers of the monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) and the ring–necked parakeet (Psittacula krameri)

2019 ◽  
pp. 389-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Mazzoni ◽  
N. A. Borray-Escalante ◽  
A. Ortega–Segalerva ◽  
L. Arroyo ◽  
J. González–Solís ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Isotopes ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Monk Parakeet ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Myiopsitta Monachus ◽  
Psittacula Krameri ◽  
Tissue Discrimination ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Discrimination Factors

Stable isotope analyses (SIAs) have been widely used in recent years to infer the diet of many species. This isotopic approach requires using diet to tissue discrimination factors (DTDFs) for each prey type and predator tissue, i.e., to determine the difference between the isotopic composition of the predator tissues and the different prey that conform its diet. Information on DTDF values in Psittaciformes is scarce. The aim of this study was to assess DTDF values for the carbon and nitrogen isotopes of the monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) and the ring–necked parakeet (Psittacula krameri), two invasive alien species of concern. We fed captive birds of the two parakeet species on a single–species diet based on sunflower seeds to establish the DTDFs for the blood and feathers. In the monk parakeet (N = 9) DTDFs were Δδ13C 2.14 ‰ ± 0.90 and Δδ15N 3.21 ‰ ± 0.75 for the blood, and Δδ13C 3.97 ‰ ± 0.90 and Δδ15N 3.67 ‰ ± 0.74 for the feathers. In the ring–necked parakeet (N = 9), the DTDFs were Δδ13C (‰) 2.58 ± 0.90 and Δδ15N (‰) 2.35 ± 0.78 for the blood, and Δδ13C 3.64 ‰ ± 0.98 and Δδ15N 4.10 ‰ ± 1.84 for the feathers. DTDF values for the ring–necked parakeet blood were significantly higher than those for the monk parakeet blood. No difference was found between the two species in the DTDF for feathers. Our findings provide the first values of DTDFs for blood and feathers in these parakeets, factors that are key to infer the diet of these species based on SIA.

“Support Your Local Invasive Species”: Animal Protection Rhetoric and Nonnative Species

2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mona Seymour
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Invasive Species ◽  
New York City ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Nonnative Species ◽  
Agricultural Crops ◽  
Broad Distribution ◽  
Nonnative Plants ◽  
Animal Protection ◽  
Monk Parakeet

Abstract This article explores protection efforts that have arisen in the New York City metropolitan area around the monk parakeet, a nonnative bird that has achieved a broad distribution outside its native habitat range. In some urban regions in which populations are established, controversy has developed around the parakeets’ use of utility infrastructure and potential impacts on native species and agricultural crops. This case provides an opportunity to explore animal protection rhetoric about nonnative species, an understudied topic, considering the great extent to which species have become established in ecosystems outside their natural ranges and the persistence of public affinity for nonnative plants and wildlife. This article identifies four major frames through which advocates have delivered the birds to public and legal audiences and considers how they have mobilized and handled notions of “nonnative-ness” in their advocacy work.

Geographical isolation and invasion ecology

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 697-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas R. Etherington
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Species Distribution Models ◽  
Invasion Ecology ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Geographical Isolation ◽  
Distribution Models ◽  
Cost Modelling ◽  
Geographical Characteristic

Isolation is a fundamental geographical characteristic that plays an important role in invasion ecology. However, risk mapping for established non-native species currently tends to ignore isolation, and instead focuses on the risk of population growth through the use of species distribution models. By focusing on how geographical isolation can be used to improve invasive species risk assessments this paper aims to: (i) provide a brief review of how methods to quantify isolation have developed, (ii) describe least-cost modelling as one approach to quantify isolation, (iii) promote catchment area mapping as a method of continuous isolation mapping that can improve invasive species risk assessments that may currently only consider risk from population growth, and (iv) discuss ways in which geographical isolation could be modified to control invasive species.

scholarly journals Leaf bathing in ring-necked parakeets Psittacula krameri

2021 ◽  
pp. 131-133
Author(s):  
X Tomàs ◽  
J. C. Senar
Keyword(s):  
Water Droplets ◽  
Monk Parakeet ◽  
The Past ◽  
Myiopsitta Monachus ◽  
Psittacula Krameri ◽  
Predatory Strategy ◽  
Do So

Bathing is one of the main actions birds perform as part of their preening. They may bathe in water, snow, dust, and even ants. Leaf bathing, where birds make use of water droplets on leaves to bathe, is less common. Here we describe four observations between 2017 and 2021 of ring-necked parakeets Psittacula krameri bathing on water droplets on leaves during rain.Over the past twenty years we have often seen monk parakeets Myiopsitta monachus bathing in puddles but never on leaves. The monk parakeet often forages on the ground, but ring-necked parakeets are reluctant to do so. We therefore interpret that the leaf bathing we observed in the ring-necked parakeet could be an anti-predatory strategy to avoid going down to the ground.

scholarly journals Sex and Age Effects on Monk Parakeet Home-Range Variation in the Urban Habitat

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 648
Author(s):  
Juan Carlos Senar ◽  
Aura Moyà ◽  
Jorge Pujol ◽  
Xavier Tomas ◽  
Ben J. Hatchwell
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Good News ◽  
Urban Habitat ◽  
Monk Parakeet ◽  
Myiopsitta Monachus ◽  
Small Home Range ◽  
Range Variation

Home-range size is a key aspect of space-use, and variation in home-range size and structure may have profound consequences for the potential impact of damage and control strategies for invasive species. However, knowledge on home-range structure of naturalized parrot species is very limited. The aim of this study was to quantify patterns of home-range variation according to sex and age of the monk parakeet Myiopsitta monachus, an invasive parakeet in Europe. Mean kernel home-range size was 12.4 ± 1.22 ha (range 1.7–74.1 ha; N = 73 birds). Juveniles had a larger home-range size than adults, but sexes did not differ in kernel home-range size. The mean maximum distance moved by monk parakeets was 727 ± 37.0 m (range: 150–1581 m), and it was not dependent on either the sex or age of the birds. Having a small home range is one of the conditions for the feasible eradication of an invasive species; hence, the small home range of urban monk parakeets that we report here is good news for pest managers. However, this small home-range size can limit the effectiveness of culling operations with traps or feeders with contraceptives or poison, and other alternatives, such as funnel nets or traps, should be used.

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