Subject: [Tweeters] Mitred Conure/Parakeet id + Seward (seattle) Conure ID
Date: Feb 1 18:35:01 2006
From: Eugene and Nancy Hunn - enhunn323 at comcast.net


Tweets,



Some years ago Dennis Paulson observered two adults with two young at his
feeders in Seattle's Maple Leaf district. As I recall he identified them at
that time as "Crimson-fronted Parakeets" (Aratinga finschi), which is a
species normally residenty from se Nicaragua to western Panama. We reported
flocks of up to 16 Aratingas seen on the Seattle CBC as this species in
2000, but the following year changed that identification on Dennis's
recommendation to "Scarlet-fronted Parakeet" (Aratinga wagleri) or hybrids
of A. wagleri and the "Mitred Parakeet" (= "Mitred Conure," Aratinga
mitrata), both very similar to A. finschi but of Andean origin.



By the way, the famous parrots of Telegraph Hill in San Francisco (Mark
Bittner's _Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill_) are mostly "Cherry-headed
Conures" (a.k.a. "Red-masked Parakeets," Aratinga erythrogens) though at
least one female Mitred Conure is in the flock and appears to be breeding
with the others.



They're all medium-sized, long-tailed mostly green parakeets with variable
amounts of red about the head.



It seemed for a while that the Maple Leaf birds might be the same as the
Seward Park birds, simply moving around seasonally, but that remains to be
demonstrated.



Gene Hunn.



----- Original Message -----
From: "Stewart Wechsler" <ecostewart at quidnunc.net>
To: "Ian Paulsen" <birdbooker at zipcon.net>
Cc: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2006 4:44 PM
Subject: RE: [Tweeters] Mitred Conure/Parakeet id + Seward (seattle) Conure
ID


>I don't remember if anyone has given a species ID to the flock of Conure
> parakeets - genus Aratinga that summers at seward park in Seattle. Does
> anyone know what species they are and what their natural range is?
>
> Stewart Wechsler
> Ecological Consulting
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