Conuropsis carolinensis carolinensis Linnaeus, 1758:97

Carolina parakeet, Carolina paroquet (archaic)

 

 

Taxonomy & Nomenclature

Synonym/s: Conurus carolinensis Linnaeus, 1758:97

 

Conservation Status

Extinct

Last record: 21 February 1918

IUCN RedList status: Extinct

 

The last known individual, "Incas", died on the 21st of February, 1918. However, there have been a number of more recent sightings (source).

 

Last record by state

Kansas: 1904 (Thompson et al., 2011)

 

Distribution

USA (eastern)

 

Biology & Ecology

 

 

Hypodigm

RMNH 110.043 (adult, male)

RMNH 110.115 (skeleton, male) [subspecies unknown]

ZMA.AVES.3159 (adult mount)

FMNH 40273

 

"Specimen: 4 May 1843, along Missouri River, below St. Joseph [...] ANSP 136786" (Robbins, 2018:174)

 

"there is a specimen in the Central Methodist College (CMC 689) that was taken in Franklin Co. [Missouri] in 1875" (Robbins, 2018:175)

 

Audie Murphy/American Cotton Museum in Greenville, Texas at least one specimen.

 

Media

 

Above: Live captive Carolina parakeet on a cocklebur. Photographer: Robert Wilson Shufeldt c.1900. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

 

Above: Rare photo of a live Carolina Parakeet named "Doodles", owned by Paul Bartsch, sitting on Mr. Bryan. Photographer: Paul Bartsch 1906. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

 

Above: ZMA.AVES.3159, sex unknown, collected c.1870. Photograph: Huub Veldhuijzen van Zanten/Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Released under CC BY-SA 3.0 license.

 

Above: Carolina parakeets by John James Audubon (1833). Source: Wikimedia Commons.

 

Above: illustration of a Carolina parakeet ("Carolina parrot") from Greene & Dutton (1884).

 

Above: Dying Words (2008) by Flickr user 'La Petite Claudine'. Released under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license.

 

References

Original scientific description:

Linnaeus, Carolus. (1758). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. – pp. [1–4], 1–824. Holmiæ. (Salvius).

 

Other references:

Allen, Francis H. (1939). Left-handedness in the Carolina paroquet. Auk 56(4): 467-477.

Amodon,  D.  (1966). Robert Ridgway on the Carolina parakeet. Fla. Nat. 39(4): 123-124.

Anonymous. (1851). Catalogue of the Menagerie and Aviary of Knowsley. Liverpool: Printed by Joshua Walmsley, 50 Lord St. [4 living Carolina parrots in the estate sale of the 13th Earl of Derby]

Atwater, C. (1838). A History of the State of Ohio, Natural and Civil. Glezen and Shepard, Cincinnati.

Audubon, J. J. (1828). The winter's wreath for MDCCCXXIX, pp. 104-127. (London and Liverpool, 1828). Republished in part in J. F. McDemott. 1942. Audubon's journey up the Mississippi. Journ. Ill. State Hist. Soc. 35: 148-173.

Baird, S.F., Brewer, T.M., Ridgway, R. 1974. History of North American Birds Volume II. Arno Press, Inc: New York.

Bartsch,  P., transl.  (1898). The breeding of the Carolina paroquet in captivity, by Dr. Nowotny. Auk 15(1): 28-32.

Bartsch, P. (1952).  Doodles--a pet Carolina paroquet; 1902-1914. Atlantic Nat., 8:  18-20.

Bendire, C.E. 1974. Life Histories ofNorth American Birds Volume II. Arno Press, Inc: New York.

Bird, J.P., Martin, R., Akçakaya, H.R., Gilroy, J., Burfield, I.J., Garnett, S.G., Symes, A., Taylor, J., Şekercioğlu, Ç.H. and Butchart, S.H.M. 2020. Generation lengths of the world’s birds and their implications for extinction risk. Conservation Biology 34(5): 1252-1261.

BirdLife International. (2008). Conuropsis carolinensis. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. (http://www.iucnredlist.org). Downloaded on 04 February 2012.

BirdLife International. 2021. Conuropsis carolinensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T22685776A195444267. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22685776A195444267.en. Accessed on 01 July 2022.

Booth, R. 1994. The Tuscarawas Valley in Indian Days 1750-1797. Gomber House Press, Cambridge, OH.

Brewster, W. (1889). Nesting habits of the Carolina Parakeet. Auk 6: 336-337.

Brooks, T. 2000. Extinct species. In: BirdLife International (ed.), Threatened Birds of the World, pp. 701-708. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona and Cambridge, U.K.

Bruggen, Adolf C. van. (In Press, 2013). Koninklijk Zoölogisch-Botanisch Genootschap, der zoologische Garten in Den Haag, 1863-1943, ein Rückblick nach siebzig Jahren aus der Sicht eines Zoologen [Koninklijk Zoölogisch-Botanisch Genootschap, the Zoological Garden in The Hague, 1863-1943, a Retrospect after Seventy Years from the Point of View of a Zoologist]. Der Zoologische Garten. [Abstract] [specimens were held in the zoo]

Brunswig, Norman L., Winton, Stephen G. and Hamel, Paul B. (1983). A dietary overlap of Evening grosbeaks and Carolina parakeets. Wilson Bulletin 95(3): 452.

Burgio, Kevin R. (2017). The Extinction of the Carolina Parakeet and Multiple Dimensions of Global Parrot Biodiversity. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Connecticut. [Abstract]

Burgio, Kevin R., Carlson, C. J. and Bond, A. L. (2018). Georeferenced sighting and specimen occurrence data of the extinct Carolina Parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis) from 1564-1944. Biodiversity Data Journal 6: e25280.

Burgio, Kevin R., Carlson, Colin J. and Tingley, Morgan W. (2017). Lazarus ecology: Recovering the distribution and migratory patterns of the extinct Carolina parakeet. Ecology and Evolution. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3135

Burgio, Kevn R. et al. (2018). The mysterious case of the Carolina Parakeet: comparing patterns of range contraction to hypothesized extinction drivers. IOC (International Ornithological Committee) 2018 Conference abstract.

Burgio, Kevin R. et al. (2021). The two extinctions of the Carolina Parakeet Conuropsis carolinensis. Bird Conservation International. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270921000241 [Abstract]

Butler,  Amos  W. (1892). Notes on the range and habits of the Carolina Parrakeet. Auk  9(1): 49-56.

Carlson, C. J. Reconstructing the extinction of the Carolina Parakeet: historical data reveal that two distinct human activities drove two separate subspecies' declines.

Casto, Stanley D. (2002). Extinct and extirpated birds of Texas. Bulletin of the Texas Ornithological Society 35: 17-24.

Casto, Stanley D. (2007). Accounts of birds in Texas newspapers, 1830–1860. Bull. Texas Ornith. Soc. 40(1): 17-29.

Catesby, Mark. (1729-1747). The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands.

Catling, Paul M. (2001). Extinction and the importance of history and dependence in conservation. Biodiversity 2(3): 2-14. [Abstract]

Chapman,  F. M. (1890). Notes on the Carolina paroquet (Conurus carolinensis) in Florida. Abst. Proc. Linn. Soc. N.Y. 2: 4-6.

Chapman,  F. M. (1915). The Caroline paroquet in Florida. Ibis 17: 453.

Childs, J.  L. (1905).  Eggs of  the  Carolina paroquet (Conurus carolinensis). The Warbler, series 2, 1: 97-98.

Childs, J. L. (1906).  Eggs of the Carolina paroquet (Conurus carolinensis). The Warbler, series 2, 2(4): 65.

Cokinos, Christopher. (2001). Hope Is the Thing with Feathers (New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 2001), pp. 5–58.

Crandall, L. S. (1912). The Carolina parrakeet.  N.Y.  Zool. Soc. Bull. No. 49: 834-836.

Curtler, M. S. (1965). Carolina Parakeet Not Extinct?. Animals 7: 532.

Davie, O. 1898. Nests and Eggs of the Birds of North America. Fifth edition, revised. David McKay, Philadelphia.

del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.

Eaton, Warren F. (1936). Former occurrence of Carolina paroquet in New Jersey. Auk 53(1): 82.

Ehrlich, Paul R., Dobkin, David S. and Wheye, Darryl. (1992). Birds in Jeopardy: The Imperiled and Extinct Birds of the United States and Canada, Including Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. 259 pp.

Eifrig, G. (1929). An old record of the Carolina Paroquet. Auk 46(3): 388.

Elphick, Chris S., Roberts, David L. and Reed, J. Michael. (2010). Estimated dates of recent extinctions for North American and Hawaiian birds. Biological Conservation 143: 617-624.

Fisher, Diana O. and Humphreys, Aelys M. (2024). Evidence for modern extinction in plants and animals. Biological Conservation 298: 110772. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110772

Ford, A. (1957). Bird biographies of John James Audubon. New York.

Forshaw, Joseph M. and Cooper, William T. (1989). Parrots of the world, 3rd ed. Willoughby, Australia: Landsdowne & London: Blandford Press.

Forshaw, Jospeh M. (2006). Parrots of the World: An Identification Guide, 3rd ed. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey.

Forshaw, Joseph M. and Knight, Frank. (2017). Vanished and Vanishing Parrots: Profiling Extinct and Endangered Species. Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing.

Fuller, Errol. (1988). Extinct Birds. New York: Facts on File Publications. 256 pp.

Fuller, Errol. (2001). Extinct Birds (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2001), pp. 239-243.

Fuller, Errol. (2013). Lost Animals: Extinction and the Photographic Record. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Furnas,  R. W. (1902). The Carolina paroquet. Proc. Nebr. Ornithol. Union 3: 107.

Ghiraldi, Luca and Aimassi, Giorgio. (2019). Extinct and endangered (‘E&E’) birds in the ornithological collection of the Museum of Zoology of Torino University, Italy. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 139(1): 28-45.

Gouraud, Christophe. (2014). Extinct and endangered species and subspecies of birds in the Baillon Collection, La Châtre, France. Journal of the National Museum (Prague), Natural History Series 183(3): 29-38.

Greene, W. T. and Dutton, Rev. F. G. (1884). Parrots in Captivity, volume 2. London: George Bell and Sons. 402 pp. [pp. 84-87]

Greenway, James C. (1958). Extinct and Vanishing Birds of the World. American Committee for International Wild Life Protection Special Publication, 13: x + 518 pages, 86 figures, 1 appendix.

Greenway James C. (1967). Extinct and Vanishing Birds of the World. American Committee for International Wild Life Protection, Special Publication no 13, 2nd edn. Dover Publications, New York.

Hahn, P. (1963). Where is That Vanished Bird? Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum.

Hains, Taylor, Pirro, Stacy, Bates, John M. and Hackett, Shannon J. (2022). The Complete Genome Sequence of Conuropsis carolinensis, the Carolina Parakeet. Biodiversity Genomes, December, 20–21. https://doi.org/10.56179/001c.66227

Hardy, J. W. (1978). Carolina Parakeet, pp. 120. In: Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida, vol. 2: Birds (H. W. Kale II, Ed.). University Press of Florida, Gainesville.

Harris, H. (1919). Birds of the Kansas City region. Transactions of the Academy of Sciences, St. Louis. Vol. 23, no 8.

Hasbroucke, Edwin  M. (1891). The Carolina Paroquet (Conurus carolinensis). Auk 8(4): 369-379.

Herrick, F. H. (1917). Audubon the naturalist, 2 vols. New York.

Howes, C. A. (1969). A survey of extinct and nearly extinct birds in the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists Club 89(4): 89-92.

Hume, JP. (2017) Extinct Birds 2nd Edition

Hume, Julian Pender and van Grouw, Hein. (2014). Colour aberrations in extinct and endangered birds. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 134(3): 168-193.

Hume, Julian Pender and Walters, Michael. (2012). Extinct birds. London: T & AD Poyser. 544 pp.

Jansen, Justin J. F. (2015). The bird collection of the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France: the first years (1793-1825). Journal of the National Museum (Prague), Natural History Series 184(5): 81-111.

Johnsgard, Paul A. (2003). Lewis and Clark on the Great Plains: A Natural History. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE. 143 pp.

Johnsgard, Paul A. (2013). The Birds of Nebraska (revised edition). Lincoln, Nebraska: Zea Books.

Johnsgard, Paul A. (2018). The Birds of Nebraska (revised edition). Lincoln, Nebraska: Zea Books.

Joines, S. (1985). America's extinct parrot. ZooNooz 58: 4-9.

Jones, L. (1903). The Birds of Ohio: A Revised Catalogue. Ohio State Academy of Science Special Papers No. 6. Columbus, Ohio.

Jouanin, Christian. (1962). Inventaire des oiseaux éteints ou en voie d’extinction conservés au Muséum de Paris. Terre et Vie 109: 275-301.

Kirchman, J. J., Schirtzinger , E. E., and Wright, T. F. (2012). Phylogenetic relationships of the extinct Carolina Parakeet ([i]Conuropsis carolinensis[/i]) inferred from DNA sequence data. Auk 129(2): 197-204.

Kittelberger, Kyle D., Tanner, Colby J., Buxton, Amy N., Prewett, Amira and Şekercioğlu, Çağan Hakkı. (2024). Correlates of avian extinction timing around the world since 1500 CE. Avian Research 15: 100213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avrs.2024.100213 [Supplementary data (List of 216 taxa)]

Knox, Alan G. and Walters, Michael P. (1994). Extinct and endangered birds in the collections of The Natural History Museum. British Ornithologists' Club Occasional Publications 1: 1-292. [pp. 154-157]

Koch, A. (1891). The Carolina Paroquet in Florida. Forest and Stream 37: 183, 24 Sept.

Laycock, G. (1969). The last parakeet. Audubon 71: 21-25.

Luther D., 1986: Die ausgestorbenen Vögel der Welt. 3rd rev. ed. – Wittenberg Lutherstadt: A. Ziemsen Verlag, 203 pp.

McCormick, W. F. J. (1915). Sighting of Conurus carolinensis in southern Florida in 1915. Bird Lore 17: 453.

McCrary,  J. M.  (1891). The Carolina Paroquet in Florida. Forest and Stream 37: 183, 24 Sept.

McKinley, Daniel. (1960). The Carolina Parakeet in pioneer Missouri. Wilson Bulletin 72(3): 274-287.

McKinley, Daniel. (1964). History of the Carolina parakeet in its southwestern range. Wilson Bulletin 76(1): 68-93.

McKinley, Daniel. (1965). The Carolina parakeet in the upper Missouri and Mississippi river valleys. Auk 82(2): 215-226.

McKinley, Daniel. (1977a). Eggs of the Carolina parakeet: A preliminary review. Journal of Field Ornithology 48(1): 25-37.

McKinley, Daniel. (1977b). The Last Days of the Carolina Parrakeet: Life in the Zoos. Avicultural magazine 83: 42.

McKinley, Daniel. (1977c). Climatic relations, seasonal mobility, and hibernation in the Carolina Parakeet. Jack-Pine Warbler 55: 107-124.

McKinley, Daniel. (1977d). The Carolina Parakeet in Georgia: A review of reports. Oriole 42: 21-25.

McKinley, Daniel. (1977e). Records of the Carolina Parakeet in Ohio. Ohio Journal of Science 77(1): 3-9.

McKinley, Daniel. (1978). Clutch size, laying date, and incubation period in the Carolina parakeet. Journal of Field Ornithology 49(3): 223-233.

McKinley, Daniel. (1985). The Carolina Parakeet in Florida. Florida Ornithological Society Special Publication 2: 1-64.

Merriam, C. H. (1892). The Carolina Paroquet (Conurus carolinensis) in Missouri. Auk 9(3): 301.

Mironov, S. V., Dabert, J. and Ehrnsberger, R. (2005). Six new feather mite species (Acari: Astigmata) from the carolina parakeet Conuropsis carolinensis (Psittaciformes: Psittacidae), an extinct parrot of North America. Journal of Natural History 39(24): 2257-2278. [Abstract]

Mlíkovský, Jiří. (2012). Extinct and nearly extinct birds in the collections of the National Museum, Prague, Czech Republic. Journal of the National Museum (Prague), Natural History Series 181(9): 95-123. [automatic download]

Mollhoff, Wayne J. (2022). Nest Records of Nebraska Birds. Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Occasional Paper 9: 1-111.

Nowotny, Dr. (1898). The breeding of the Carolina Paroquet in captivity. Auk 15(1): 28-32.

Oberholser, Harry Church. (1974). The bird life of Texas. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Oberholser, Harry Church and Chapman, F. M. (1932). Migrations of North American birds. Bird Lore 34: 328-332.

Oot, Malee. (2023). The Curious Extinction of the Carolina Parakeet: An Avian Cold Case. Mental Floss. Available at: https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/carolina-parakeet-extinction-mystery [Accessed 19 September 2023]

Osborn, Herbert F. (1905). The Recently Extinct and Vanishing Animals of Iowa. The Annals of Iowa 6(8): 561-570.

Padilla-Jacobo, Gabriela et al. (2023). Origin and diversification of the genera Aratinga, Eupsittula and Psittacara (Aves: Psittacidae). Research Square preprint. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2629125/v1

Parmalese, Paul W. (1958). Remains of rare and extinct birds from Illinois Indian sites. Auk 75(2): 169-176.

Pickens, A. L. (1928). Birds of upper South Carolina: a study in geographical distribution. Wilson Bulletin 40(3): 182-191.

Prestwich, A. A. (1966). Records of breeding the Carolina Parrakeet (Conuropsis  carolinensis)  in captivity. Avic. Mag. 72: 20-22.

Pulich, W. M. (1988). The Birds of North Central Texas. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, Texas.

Pyne, Lydia. (2022). Endlings: Fables for the Anthropocene. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Remsburg, G. J.. (1906).  (Report of parakeet killed on Remsburg farm near Atchison, Kansas.)  AS. of C.C.  [Amer. Sot. of Curio Collectors]  Bul. 1(3): 46.

Renom, Pere. (2023). Understanding evolution through genomic analysis of extinct species. PhD thesis, Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Departament de Medicina i Ciències de la Vida.

Robbins, Mark B. (2018). The Status and Distribution of Birds in Missouri. Lawrence, Kansas: University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute. viii + 332 pp.

Roberts, D. L. and Jarić, I. (2016). Inferring extinction in North American and Hawaiian birds in the presence of sighting uncertainty. PeerJ 4: e2426.

Robinson, Thane S. (1958). An erroneous record of the Carolina parakeet and other animals in Montana. Auk 75(1): 91-93.

Saikku, M. (1991). The extinction of the Carolina Parakeet. Environment and History 14: 1-18.

Sayol, Ferran, Steinbauer, Manuel J., Blackburn, Tim M., Antonelli, Alexandre and Faurby, Søren. (2020). Anthropogenic extinctions conceal widespread evolution of flightlessness in birds. Science Advances 6(49): eabb6095. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abb6095 [Supplementary Material (Data File S1)]

Scott, Peter. (1973). Species Extinction in Birds. Bird Study 20(2): 93-102.

Smith, Nora. (2008). Extinct and Extirpated Birds and Mammals of Arkansas. Honors Theses. Paper 74.

Snyder, Noel F. R. (2004). The Carolina Parakeet: Glimpses of a Vanished Bird. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. 176 pp.

Snyder, Noel F. R. et al. (2010). Evaluation of the Nelson Carolina Parakeet Film. The Auk 127(4): 948-951.

Snyder, Noel F. R. and Russell, K. (2002). Carolina Parakeet. In: Poole, A. and Gill, F. (eds.). The Birds of North America, no. 675. Philadelphia: The Birds of North America, Inc. [no. 667?]

Snyder, Noel F. R., Wiley, J. W. and Kepler, C. B. (1987). The parrots of Luquillo: natural history and conservation of the Puerto Rican Parrot. Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, Los Angeles. [relevant citation?]

Street, P. B. (1948). The Edward Harris collection of birds. Wilson Bulletin 60: 167-84.

Swenk,  M.  H. (1934). The interior Carolina Paroquet as a Nebraska bird. Nebraska  Bird Rev. 2: 55-59.

Thompson, M. C., C. Ely, B. Gress, C. Otte, S. T. Patti, D. Seibel, and E. A. Young. 2011. Birds of Kansas. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence.

Catherine A. Toft and Timothy F. Wright. 2015. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, USA. 346 pp. [relevant citation?]

Tyrberg, Tommy. (2009). Holocene avian extinctions, pp. 63-106. In: Turvey, Samuel T. (ed.). Holocene Extinctions. Oxford, UK & New York, USA: Oxford University Press. xii + 352 pp.

Walley, Harlan D. (1966). The Carolina parakket in Illinois. Wilson Bulletin 78(2): 231-232.

Weatherford, Carole Boston. (2005). The Carolina Parakeet: America's Lost Parrot In Art And Memory. Avian Publications, 76 pp.

Whan, William D. (2016). The birds of central Ohio: an annotated checklist from Franklin and surrounding Counties. Unpublished. 129 pp.

Wheaton, J. M. 1882. Report on the birds of Ohio, pp. 187-628 in Report of the Geological Survey of Ohio, Vol IV, Part 1. Columbus, Nevins & Myers, State Printers. [written in 1879]

Widmann, O. (1907). Birds of Missouri. A preliminary catalogue. Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis 17: 1-288.

Wied, Maximilian, Prince of. (1857). Ueber den Papagei von Nerd-America. Psittacus (Conurus) carolinensis Lin. [sic].  Jour. fiir Ornith. 5:97-105.

Wiley, R. Haven. (1970). Audubon's Kentucky birds, including the Ivory-billed woodpecker. The Kentucky Warbler 46(2): 27-36.

Wright, Albert Hazen. (1912). Early records of the Carolina paroquet. Auk 29(3): 343-363.

http://www.outdooralabama.com/watchable-wildlife/Watchablearticles/parakeet.cfm

http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/dmisc/id/1658/show/1478

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2223023-lost-us-parrot-species-went-extinct-not-once-but-twice/

https://extinctanimals.proboards.com/thread/9201/conuropsis-carolinensis-carolina-parakeet

https://www.extinction.photo/species/carolina-parakeet/

 

<< Back to the Psittaciformes (Cockatoos and Parrots) database