Mitred Conure

Mitred Conure

The mitred parakeet (Psittacara mitratus), also known as the mitred conure in aviculture, is a species of green and red parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is native to the forests and woodlands in the Andes from north-central Peru, south through Bolivia, to north-western Argentina, with introduced populations in California, Florida and Hawaii. It may constitute a cryptic species complex.

A relatively long-tailed species with a total length of 34–38 cm (13–15 in). Adults are mainly green with varying amounts of red to the face and thighs, a relatively conspicuous bare white eye-ring, and a heavy, pale bone-coloured bill. Juveniles show little or no red to the plumage.

Unlike most of its relatives (scarlet-fronted, red-masked, white-eyed, Cuban, and Hispaniolan parakeet), adults at most show one or two red feathers at the bend of the wing.

Its natural habitats are forest (both deciduous and humid), woodland, and nearby habitats at altitudes of 1,000–3,400 m (3,300–11,200 ft), with a single possible record from 4,000 m (13,000 ft). The introduced population in California primarily occurs in urban parks and residential areas. There are some seasonal movements in response to the availability of food. It is generally common to locally abundant, and when occasionally foraging in cultivated areas, it may cause considerable damage to crops. It is therefore considered to be of least concern by IUCN. The introduced Californian population had increased to c. 1000 birds by 2002, while the introduced population on Maui, despite attempts of eradication, had increased to c. 200 birds by 2003. Lethal control measures have been implemented by the Maui Invasive Species Committee and as of March 31, 2012 another five mitred parakeets were lethally removed from the wild and only 30 birds remain alive out of the initial 200. The high success rate of lethal removal suggests that mitred parakeets will be completely eliminated from Maui in the near future.