Among the most dramatically increasing naturalized parrots in the Los Angeles region is the Yellow-chevroned Parakeet (Brotogeris chiriri). This species was formerly known as the "Canary-winged Parakeet", but that taxon was recently split into the Yellow-chevroned and the White-winged Parakeet (B. versicolurus).  A few White-winged Parakeets may persist on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, and small numbers also occur in the San Francisco Bay area.  The Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, through a procedural quirk, is on the ABA North America checklist but not currently on any official state or provincial checklist.  Although we cannot predict whether new information will support the addition of this species to the California list, it is certainly important to obtain such information.  We gathered fairly thorough information on Yellow-chevroned and White-winged Parakeets in the mid-1990s (see Western Birds 28[4]:181-195, 1997), but it is clear that Yellow-chevroneds are continuing to expand their range and numbers.  It is time to get a good snapshot of the numbers and distribution of Yellow-chevroneds, and I ask for your help.

During the calendar year 2005, please e-mail me sightings of Yellow-chevroned Parakeets (and of White-winged Parakeets if you run across any) in the following format:

YOUR NAME/CONTACT INFO [presumably in e-mail signature]

SPECIES: Yellow-chevroned Parakeet [or....]

DATE:

TIME OF DAY:

EXACT LOCATION [be specific - street intersection or address,park name, etc.]

NUMBER OF BIRDS IN FLOCK:

FLYING? [DIRECTION?]

FEEDING? [TREE SPECIES? FOOD TYPE?]

NESTING? [give details]

OTHER BEHAVIOR:

ANY OTHER NOTES OF INTEREST:

DOCUMENTATION [If you can obtain photos, feel free to send them]
 

Please DO NOT e-mail me directly with routine sightings of other parrots - you can continue reporting them through the California Parrot Project web site: http://natureali.org/parrot_project/Parrot_Project.html    We have learned from work with Amazona and Aratinga parrots that the best way to pin down population size is to count birds at roost sites; so I am especially interested in information about definite or potential nighttime roosting sites of Brotogeris parakeets.
 

Kimball L. Garrett

Ornithology Collections Manager
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90007
(213) 763-3368
(213) 746-2999 FAX