Return of Bird of the Week: Austral Parakeet

Another species of Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost large island in South America, is the Austral Parakeet. It’s a cousin the late, lamented Carolina Parakeet, North America’s only native member of the parrot family. The species’ range extends up the coast of Chile. In Tierra del Fuego, it’s a sea level bird, but further north it ranges to 2,000 meters. The Austral Parakeet is suffering population declines as a result of deforestation, competition with non-native species, and human captures for pet trade. But overall, this is a species of least concern. While WC saw only this one pair, the species…