Red-masked Parakeet 1591922 218500459 2008-06-10T22:40:48Z Ohnoitsjamie 507787 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/68.145.173.8|68.145.173.8]] ([[User talk:68.145.173.8|talk]]) to last version by Hesperian {{Taxobox | name = Red-masked Parakeet | image = Red-masked Parakeet-Aratinga erythrogenys in a tree.jpg | image_caption = | image_width = 240px | status = NT | status_system = IUCN3.1 | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] | classis = [[bird|Aves]] | ordo = [[Psittaciformes]] | familia = [[true parrots|Psittacidae]] | genus = ''[[Aratinga]]'' | species = '''''A. erythrogenys''''' | binomial = ''Aratinga erythrogenys'' | binomial_authority = ([[Rene Primevere Lesson|Lesson]], [[1844]]) }} [[Image:Aratinga erythrogenys-juvenile mainly green.jpg|right|thumb|Juvenile; starting to get a few red feathers on its head.]] The '''Red-masked parakeet''', ''Aratinga erythrogenys'', is a medium-sized [[parrot]] from [[Ecuador]] and [[Peru]]. It is known in the pet trade as the '''Cherry-headed [[Conure]]'''. It has been the 10th most common neotropical parrot imported into the USA with over 26,000 parakeets checked in from 1981 to 1985. This bird was formerly more common in its limited range, and only fairly recently has been reclassified from a species of least concern to a species near threatened (1994). Some are sold as cage birds; they are considered good talkers. Red-masked parakeets average about 33 cm (13 in) long, of which half is the tail. They are bright green with a mostly red head on which the elongated pale eye-ring is conspicuous; the nape is green. Also, the lesser and median underwing coverts are red, and there is some red on the neck, the thighs, and the leading edge of the wings. Clutches average 3 to 4 eggs and incubation is 23 or 24 days. Nests are usually made in tree cavities. Juvenile birds fledge after 50 days with solid green plumage; their first red feathers appear around the age of 4 months. The call is two-syllabled, harsh and loud. These birds are native to southwestern [[Ecuador]] and northwestern [[Peru]], where they inhabit forest edges and partially cleared areas. ==Feral populations== [[Image:Parrots of telegraph hill.jpg|right|thumb|Parrots on [[Telegraph Hill, San Francisco]].]] Escaped cage birds are considered to be [[List of birds of Spain|introduced in Spain]]. They are also found in [[Florida]] and [[California]], and make up most of the [[feral]] population in [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]] that was documented in the book ''[[The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (book)|The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill]]'' by [[Mark Bittner]] and the [[The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill|film of the same name]] by [[Judy Irving]]. Although these birds reproduce in the wild, the Red-masked Parakeet is not considered established in North America. Breeding populations of [[Feral parrots|feral parakeets]] have been observed in [[San Diego County]], [[Los Angeles]], [[San Gabriel Valley]], [[Sunnyvale, California|Sunnyvale]] and [[San Francisco]]. [http://www.dfg.ca.gov/hcpb/species/nuis_exo/ferret/ferret_issues_table3.shtml] The birds have been observed feeding on the fruits of the cultivated tropical vegetation and nesting in the ubiquitous palm trees. ==References== * {{IUCN2006|assessors=BirdLife International|year=2004|id=1998|title=Aratinga erythrogenys|downloaded=[[06 May]] [[2006]]}} Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is near threatened *{{cite book | author=David Sibley | title =The Sibley Guide to Birds | publisher = Knopf | year = 2000 | id=ISBN 0-679-45122-6}} *''Handbook of the Birds of the World Vol 4'', Josep del Hoyo editor, ISBN 84-87334-22-9 ===External links=== *[http://natureali.org/parrot_project/redmasked_parakeet.htm Page on the Red-masked Parakeet from the Parrot Project] *[http://www.conure.org/aratinga_erythrogenys.htm Page on the "Cherry-headed Conure" at the International Conure Association website] *[http://www.markbittner.net/parrots_central.html Site about the feral flock in San Francisco, with many photographs and much information] *[http://wildflorida.org/bba/RMPA.htm Florida Breeding Bird Atlas: Red-masked Parakeet] [[Category:Parrots]] [[Category:AratingaParakeet, Red-masked]] [[Category:Birds of EcuadorParakeet, Red-masked]] [[Category:Birds of Peru]] [[Category:Birds kept as pets]] [[es:Aratinga erythrogenys]] [[fr:Aratinga erythrogenys]] [[ru:Красноголовый аратинга]]