The green parakeet (''Psittacara holochlorus'') is a medium-sized

parrot Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoide ...

occurring in

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

and

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

, from the southernmost tip of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

south to northern

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

Description

The green parakeet is 32 cm in length, and is mostly green in color. It also has a yellow beak.

Diet

It feeds on seeds, various fruits, and corn. It can sometimes be considered a crop pest.

Habitat

Wild birds primarily use scrub and swamp forests, woodlands, and forest clearings. The US population takes advantage of palm groves in cities.

Taxonomy

This species was formerly placed in the genus'' Aratinga'' as ''A. holochlora'', and divided into various subspecies (''A. h. holochlora, A. h. brevipes, A. h. brewsteri, A. h. strenua,'' and ''A. h. rubritorquis''). Later, it was split into three species as the green conure (''A. holochlora''), Pacific conure (''A. strenua''), and Socorro conure (''A. brevipes''). Today it is recognised as single species with a highly threatened subspecies (''Psittacara holochlorus brevipes'') endemic to Socorro in the Revillagigedo Islands, Mexico.

Ecology

Green parakeet pairs usually find holes in trees in which to nest, where the female lays three or four eggs. It also nests colonially in crevices on cliff faces. After the breeding season is completed, the birds form large communal roosts.

Distribution

The species occurs from southern Texas and northern Mexico (including ''P. h. brevipes'' on

Socorro Island Socorro Island ( es, Isla Socorro) is a small volcanic island in the Revillagigedo Islands, a Mexican possession lying off the country's western coast. The size is 16.5 by 11.5 km (10.25 by 7.15 miles), with an area of . It is the largest ...

) south through the Middle American isthmus to southwestern Nicaragua. It inhabits a variety of woody habitats. Since the

Carolina parakeet The Carolina parakeet (''Conuropsis carolinensis''), or Carolina conure, is an extinct species of small green neotropical parrot with a bright yellow head, reddish orange face and pale beak that was native to the eastern, Midwest and plains sta ...

's (''Conuropsis carolinensis'') extinction and the

thick-billed parrot The thick-billed parrot (''Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha'') is a medium-sized parrot endemic to Mexico that formerly ranged into the southwestern United States. Its position in parrot phylogeny is the subject of ongoing discussion; it is sometimes ...

's (''Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha'')

extirpation Local extinction, also known as extirpation, refers to a species (or other taxon) of plant or animal that ceases to exist in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinct ...

from the United States in the 1930s, the green parakeet remains the only confirmed native extant parrot species in the U.S. Another parrot species, the

red-crowned amazon The red-crowned amazon (''Amazona viridigenalis''), also known as the red-crowned parrot, green-cheeked amazon or Mexican red-headed parrot, is an endangered amazon parrot native to northeastern Mexico and possibly southern Texas in the United St ...

(''Amazona viridigenalis'') is considered by some authorities to be native to the

Rio Grande Valley The Lower Rio Grande Valley ( es, Valle del Río Grande), commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley or locally as the Valley or RGV, is a region spanning the border of Texas and Mexico located in a floodplain of the Rio Grande near its mouth. Th ...

, but its ecological status is still debated. In western

, their nesting sites lie within the El Chocoyero - El Brujo Protected Area, but the birds still face threats from the outside world when they leave the reserve to feed. The ''A. brevipes'' subspecies is highly threatened by habitat loss due to feral sheep and predation by feral cats. Surveys from 2006 and 2007 estimated a population around 300 individuals, suggesting a population decline from previous population estimates. The native status of populations in southern Texas is unclear, with some claiming them to be

feral A feral () animal or plant is one that lives in the wild but is descended from domesticated individuals. As with an introduced species, the introduction of feral animals or plants to non-native regions may disrupt ecosystems and has, in some ...

escapees. However, the groups in the Rio Grande Valley are now generally regarded as naturally occurring and native, because of the proximity of confirmed native populations, the deforestation of Tamaulipas which forced them to disperse, and earlier evidence from 1911 of these parakeets consuming a strawberry harvest at Combs.