The monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus), also known as the Quaker parrot, is a small, bright green parrot with a greyish breast and greenish-yellow abdomen. Native to South America, monk parakeets are increasingly found in the wild in places like the United States, Europe, and Asia where the species has been introduced.
Monk parakeets are highly social birds that build large, elaborate nests out of twigs and branches in trees and on utility structures. Nests can be occupied by hundreds of parakeets at a time. Monk parakeets typically breed once a year, though the timing varies based on location. The breeding season generally corresponds with the warmer months in the Northern Hemisphere or the rainy season in the tropics.
During the breeding season, monk parakeet pairs will work together to prepare their nest, strengthen pair bonds, and mate repeatedly until eggs are laid. Monk parakeet reproduction involves a sequence of behaviors related to courtship, mating, egg-laying, incubation, and care of hatchlings shared between the bonded pair. Understanding monk parakeet breeding habits helps explain how they successfully colonize new areas.
Courtship
The monk parakeet breeding season begins with courtship between pairs of birds. Courtship serves to form pair bonds, assess mate fitness, and synchronize breeding. In the wild, monk parakeets generally breed for life once a pair bond has formed.
Courtship behavior in monk parakeets involves vocalizations, feather preening, food sharing, and mate feeding. The male parakeet will frequently vocalize loud calls and display his bright plumage to attract the attention of females. Once a potential pair has been established, the two birds will begin preening each other’s head, neck, and beak, an important social bonding behavior.
Mate feeding is also central to monk parakeet courtship. The male will regurgitate food and transfer it directly into the mouth of the female. This demonstrates his ability to provide for offspring and helps synchronize the reproductive state of the pair. The female may also beg for food vocalizations to solicit feeding from the male.
Nest inspection and strengthening together serve as important courtship bonding rituals. Monk parakeet pairs will spend time adding new sticks and nest material to their large, communal stick nests in preparation for breeding season. The male will offer the female various twigs and branches, which she will then evaluate and potentially integrate into the nest structure.
Seasonal Variations
The timing of monk parakeet breeding corresponds with peak food availability in a given habitat. This ensures ample food to support egg production, incubation, and feeding of chicks.
In temperate environments, monk parakeets generally begin courtship and breeding in spring, with hatchlings fledging by late summer. In their native South America, monk parakeets often nest during the rainy season, which produces an abundance of flowers, fruits, and seeds the birds depend on.
The onset of intense rainstorms provides an important trigger for courtship behavior and hormonal changes related to breeding in tropical monk parakeet populations. Cooler temperatures and longer nights then prompt South American monk parakeets to stop breeding during the dry season.
Mating
Once pair bonds have been established through courtship, monk parakeets will commence mating repeatedly to fertilize eggs. The male mounts the female and briefly joins their cloacae (vent openings) together while grasping her shoulders with his feet.
Mating generally takes just a few seconds per mount, though pairs will mate multiple times per day during the breeding period. Peak mating activity usually occurs in the morning and evening. Monk parakeets are prolific, and a single mating is sufficient to fertilize an entire clutch of eggs.
Nest Sites
Monk parakeet pairs nest communally in large, elaborate stick structures built on trees, human-made structures like power poles, or other sites offering cavities and support. Breeding pairs will select a private chamber or individual nest site within the large colony nest to breed and raise young.
Preferred nesting sites are highly protected with a roof above and an enclosed entrance to provide shelter. The nest interior is also lined with soft material like leaves, grass, feathers, paper, or cloth. Monk parakeets exhibit high nest-site fidelity and will return to the same colony nest and breeding chamber across years.
Extra-pair Copulations
Though monk parakeets are socially monogamous and form close pair bonds, some instances of extra-pair mating have been observed. In a minority of cases, a female monk parakeet may briefly mate with a male other than her bonded partner, usually while the pair male is absent.
However, extra-pair mating is relatively uncommon in monk parakeets, likely because of their colonial nesting habits and difficulty finding privacy. Most monks parakeets remain sexually faithful and rear young only with their devoted partner. Genetic analyses have confirmed the majority of chicks are related to the resident pair.
Egg Laying
Approximately one week after mating commences, the female monk parakeet will start laying eggs. She deposits one egg per day until completing a full clutch, which typically numbers 5 to 8 eggs. The eggs are oval shaped with a pale white color and measure about 1 inch long.
The female alone is responsible for incubating the eggs once laid. She sits tightly on the eggs while the male continues to provide most of her food. The male will also stand guard near the nest entrance to defend against predators or other intrusions during the sensitive incubation period.
Egg Production
Female monk parakeets produce larger clutch sizes during optimal breeding seasons compared to marginal conditions. Clutches may contain anywhere from 3 to 12 eggs depending on the individual bird, habitat, and availability of resources.
Younger females in their first breeding season often produce smaller test clutches with fewer eggs as they gain experience. Older, more experienced hens lay larger, more robust clutches. Good nutrition enhances a female’s egg production capacity compared to malnutrition.
Harsher weather, limited food, or disturbance also cause females to limit clutch sizes. However, monk parakeets show flexibility in timing breeding and clutch size to coincide with favorable conditions. This helps propagate the species across diverse, sometimes challenging environments.
Egg Laying Intervals
Female monk parakeets typically deposit one egg per day in the early morning until completing a full clutch. The initial eggs are often smaller, followed by larger eggs as the female hits peak production. She produces an egg about every 24-48 hours based on her individual condition and health.
Some exceptional monk parakeet hens have been observed laying two eggs in a single day by depositing eggs many hours apart. However, this is relatively uncommon given the large effort and energy invested in producing each egg. Mostly, monk parakeets lay one egg per morning.
Shared Egg Care
Male and female monk parakeets share responsibility for caring for the eggs even before hatching. The male will stand guard near the nest entrance while the female incubates. He may also occasionally enter the nest to turn and adjust the eggs as needed to ensure even incubation.
Both sexes participate in egg turning using their beaks. Egg turning helps prevent adhesion of the embryo to the shell membranes during incubation, which can impede hatching. The pair coordinates egg tending throughout the 23-33 day incubation period.
Incubation
Incubation begins immediately after the monk parakeet female lays her final egg, marking the start of the 23-33 day period until hatching. The female alone incubates the eggs, but the male plays a key role in defending the nest and providing her continuous food.
The female sits tightly on the eggs day and night, leaving only briefly for short breaks to eat, drink, preen, and defecate. Males feed females on the nest, enabling constant incubation. The eggs must be kept at a constant temperature range between 98-102°F for normal embryonic development.
If eggs are left uncovered for long periods, embryonic development ceases and can result in death. Therefore, diligent incubation by both sexes is imperative for hatching success. Towards the end of incubation as hatching approaches, vocalizations between the pair increase to synchronize the event.
Incubation Period
Complete incubation lasts about 23-33 days from the laying of the last egg until hatching. Incubation periods tend to be shorter in captivity compared to wild monk parakeets. Average incubation is around 28 days for captive birds kept indoors under controlled conditions.
In natural nests exposed to variable weather, incubation may extend a bit longer to 33 days. The onset of cooler nighttime temperatures can lengthen development times for some eggs. However, most monk parakeet chicks hatch after about one month of attentive incubation by their parents.
Hatching Synchronization
Monk parakeet eggs typically hatch in the same order they were laid. However, the parents coordinate incubation so that most eggs finish developing and hatch within a span of several hours. Staggered hatching over multiple days increases risk to early hatchlings.
To synchronize hatching, parents selectively incubate eggs laid later for slightly longer periods. This helps late eggs “catch up” in developmental stage to those laid first. Hormonal signals from the chicks also help synchronize the process. Synchronous hatching ensures all chicks survive the hazardous hatching stage together.
Hatching
Hatching of monk parakeet chicks begins about 23-33 days after incubation starts. Hatching proceeds in an organized sequence coordinated by the parents. The process from initial pipping to fully emerging lasts 12-24 hours for each egg.
The chick first punctures a small hole in the egg using its specialized “egg tooth” on the beak tip. It continues weakening the shell by poking the hole larger while rotating slowly in the egg. The chick gradually keeps enlarging the hole and cracking the shell further until it is ready to fully emerge.
While hatching, the female parent continues sitting on the nest, only periodically getting up to roll the eggs. She also vocally encourages hatching chicks. Once free of the shell, the female will remove the broken fragments so the chicks have space to move about in the nest cavity.
Parental Assistance
If a chick seems to be struggling to hatch after prolonged pipping, the parents may gently assist by carefully cracking more of the eggshell. However, direct assistance is seldom needed if incubation conditions have been optimal. Most chicks successfully pip and hatch without issue.
Newly hatched chicks are wet, irritable, and partially immobilized while their feathers dry. If hatching is not well synchronized, parents may have to pay extra attention to drying and brooding late hatchers to ensure their survival along with early chicks.
Natal Down
Monk parakeet hatchlings are covered in a sparse, grayish down over their pink skin at hatching. Their eyes are closed, and they are essentially helpless, relying completely on parental care. Within a few days, their down will be replaced by the emergence of juvenile feathers as they grow.
The natal down provides some initial insulation but is not very dense or thermally protective. Parents must brood hatchlings frequently to keep them warm until juvenile plumage develops. Hatchling size depends on egg size but averages about 1.5 inches long and weighs 10-13 grams.
Parental Care of Hatchlings
Monk parakeet parents closely attend to hatchlings in the nest after they complete hatching. The chicks are blind, naked, and completely dependent on their parents for warmth, protection, and provisioning. Both the male and female parakeet assist in rearing offspring.
The female parent spends most of her time brood-sitting on the nest to keep the altricial chicks warm. The male stands guard outside the nest, chases away intruders, and supplies the majority of food to the female and hatchlings. When the female leaves briefly to eat and defecate, the male substitutes brood-sitting.
Brooding
For the first two weeks after hatching, monk parakeet chicks are unable to thermoregulate and rely on brooding behaviors by the parents to maintain their body temperature. Both sexes will sit tightly on the chicks to provide warmth, but the female performs most brooding activity.
Parents may shiver to generate additional heat. As the chicks grow and become more feathered, the amount of time spent brooding gradually decreases. By two weeks of age, monk parakeet chicks can maintain their body temperature independently. However, parents continue to brood periodically for protection.
Feeding
Adult monk parakeets provide all the food for hatchlings by regurgitating pre-digested seeds, fruits, buds, and insects directly into the chicks’ mouths. The male parent does the majority of provisioning, regularly feeding the female on the nest who then distributes the food to hatchlings.
As chicks get older, the female will begin leaving the nest for short breaks, allowing the male to directly feed the chicks. Feeding increases substantially as the chicks grow. By fledging, the parents make hundreds of feeding visits per day to satisfy their offspring.
Nest Sanitation
Monk parakeet parents keep the nest cavity clean by consuming or removing chick waste. The chick’s feces are encapsulated in a membrane, which the parents simply swallow. This helps keep the nest sanitary. Old food remnants and eggshells are also removed.
Later in the nesting stage, chicks will back up to the cavity entrance and defecate outside the nest. Parents may also carry fecal sacs away from the nest in their beaks for disposal. Keeping the nest clean reduces the risk of predation and disease.
Fledging
Monk parakeet chicks are ready to fledge and leave the nest cavity about 7-8 weeks after hatching. Just prior to fledging, the parents seem to coax the chicks out of the nest using vocalizations and food offers outside the cavity. Fledging is well-synchronized among clutch mates.
Initially after fledging, the young parakeets cannot fly well and remain close to the nest where the parents continue caring for them. The juveniles spend about another month near the natal nest practicing flying and foraging skills before becoming nutritionally independent.
Some sibling groups remain together as juveniles even after independence from the parents. Monk parakeets reach sexual maturity for breeding around 2-3 years old. Most form monogamous pair bonds for nesting that may last a lifetime.
Pre-fledging Development
In the weeks before fledging, chicks grow flight feathers and muscle strength needed for flying and leaving the cavity. Their wing and tail feathers begin emerging around 3 weeks old. Chicks flap wings frequently in the nest to build muscle.
Parents may encourage flapping by withholding food. Just before fledging, the chicks appear fully feathered except for some downy tufts remaining on the head. They become increasingly restless and eager to explore outside the nest.
Fledging Age
Monk parakeet chicks typically fledge around 49 days after hatching, or 7 weeks of age. However, fledging age can range from 45 to a full 8 weeks post-hatching. Chicks must attain sufficient flight capability and independence skills before leaving the nest.
Brood size and competition for resources affect fledging age. Chicks from smaller broods often fledge slightly earlier than those from larger clutches. Abundant food provisioning from parents accelerates growth and enables earlier fledging. Nesting synchrony with optimal seasons also results in faster development.
Post-fledging Care
After fledging, monk parakeet juveniles still require parental care while they learn to fly proficiently, forage for food, and gain independence. The parents continue feeding, grooming, and protecting the young parakeets during this critical transition stage, but the juveniles no longer use the nest cavity.
Most fledglings remain close to the natal colony where their parents attend to them. Families may move to a temporary roost site nearby. Juveniles practice flying short distances between perches while staying together in sibling groups for 1-2 months post-fledging as they mature.
Conclusion
In summary, monk parakeet reproduction involves a sequence of stages adapted to produce maximum numbers of surviving offspring. Courtship and bonding prepare the pair for synchronizing reproduction. Copulation and egg-laying are followed by shared incubation until synchronized hatching.
Both parent parakeets feed and protect helpless hatchlings until they fledge from the nest around two months later. For another month, the family remains together while juveniles perfect flying and foraging skills. Monk parakeets are prolific, and their breeding strategy facilitates colonization of new habitats.
Reproduction in monk parakeets demonstrates complex social behaviors, specialized nest-building skills, and extensive biparental care of altricial young. Their ability to breed cooperatively and rear chicks successfully under diverse environmental conditions helps explain the monk parakeet’s adaptive success as an invasive species worldwide.
