THE ANIMAL FILES

Nanday parakeet

Aratinga nenday

A black mask sits above a green body.

The nanday parakeet combines a black face with green plumage, blue tones and red thighs. It feeds on several plant parts and nests in tree holes. Released captive birds have also established populations beyond its native South American range.[1]

Follow the evidence ↓
Nanday parakeet
Image: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE · Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
More than a black head
Red feathers cover the thighs.[1]
A plant menu
Seeds, fruit, buds and flowers supply food.[1]
Tree holes and communal nights
Tree cavities provide nesting sites.[1]

More than a black head

A dark facial mask and beak contrast with the green body. Flight feathers are dark, the tail ends with blue edging, and red feathers cover the thighs. Combining these features gives a fuller identification than the black face alone.[1]

A plant menu

Palm nuts, berries and other plant foods occur in the diet. Birds use scrub forest, clearings and open country in South America. Feral populations may visit feeders, but an artificial food source is not the whole natural menu.[1]

Tree holes and communal nights

Pairs usually nest in holes in trees. After raising young, birds form larger communal roosts until the next breeding season. A nesting cavity serves reproduction, while a communal roost gathers birds at another stage of the annual routine.[1]

A COMMON MIX-UP

Does a free-living bird outside South America have to be native there?

No. Released captive nanday parakeets have founded self-sustaining populations in other regions.[1]

TRY A LITTLE REASONING

Why can nesting in a cavity and joining a large roost both describe this bird?

Reveal the explanation

They describe different stages: raising young and gathering after breeding.[1]

Sources & editorial notes

Adapted and translated from the cited Wikipedia revisions, with source-linked reasoning. Image credit and licence are listed separately above.

Adapted and translated from Wikipedia contributors; exact revisions are linked below. CC BY-SA 4.0

  1. Wikipedia contributors — Nanday parakeet (cited revision)
  2. NCBI Taxonomy — Aratinga nenday

Last fact check:

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