Carolina parakeet

Back from the Dead: The Carolina Parakeet

By Corissa Tracy, Brenden Sweeney, Chandler Eaglestone, and Caleb Browning

For most species that go extinct, there is a clear cause to their downfall; however, this is not the case with the Carolina parakeet. Little is known about what caused their demise, but there are many hypotheses that have been formed over time in an attempt to explain their extinction. As with many animals whose populations are declining, the advancement of humanity may have played a large role in the extinction of the Carolina parakeet, especially through habitat loss and hunting. Since the Carolina parakeet makes its home in tree cavities, deforestation could have also posed a threat to the fitness- the ability to pass genes on to the next generation- of the birds, as they were unable to find suitable nesting sites. Furthermore, farmers found these birds to be a nuisance because of their loud calls that can be heard for miles and their love of eating the farmers’ crops. Therefore, the farmers would kill the parakeets in large numbers to prevent further annoyance and destruction.

So, is it our moral obligation to restore species that we as humans may have caused to die off? Although humanity may have played a large role in the demise of this species, there are many other factors at play. Honey bees took over the parakeets’ nesting sites and the Carolina parakeet’s altruistic behavior of congregating around a hurt member of their flock, which ultimately would present the predator—be it human or animal—with the opportunity to kill many more than just one bird. However, it is hypothesized that, ultimately, poultry disease was the cause of the Carolina parakeet’s final extinction. But what if this was not the end of the Carolina parakeet? What if the species could be reborn and reintroduced to the world? Now that we know de-extinction is a possibility with science, should we pursue it? And would the birds be able to survive in our new world or would they ultimately face the same fate?

Jandaya parakeets gathering on a tree limb

The Carolina parakeet has similar biology to its close relative the Jandaya parakeet of the eastern South American rainforest area. Due to these similarities we are considering implanting the genome of the Carolina parakeet into a Jandaya parakeet’s embryo, thus resulting in the de-extinction of the Carolina parakeet. Both of these birds have typical avian unidirectional respiratory systems - the air only flows one way through their lungs. These systems aid in thermoregulation by not contaminating the warm air inside with cold air from outside. However, the Jandaya parakeet lives in the tropics, while the Carolina parakeet lived all over the east coast of North America. Therefore, their modes of thermoregulation will be adapted to deal with their preferred forms of habitat. As mentioned above, when the Carolina parakeet fell to extinction in North America, it is likely that it was ultimately due to an exotic poultry disease. Unfortunately, the Jandaya parakeet also suffers from a disease known as Psittacine disease, which causes fatal infections in young birds. Furthermore, these birds have major reproductive differences, which could cause an obstacle in returning the Carolina parakeet to life. The Carolina parakeet was known to lay eggs in clutches of 2-5 where the Jandaya parakeet lays clutches of up to 36 eggs. This is a major difference, and could make it difficult to use the Jandaya as a surrogate species due to egg size and developmental differences. Moreover, the Carolina parakeet was toxic. This toxicity was believed to have come from their attraction to cocklebur seeds, which contain a toxic glucose compound. Overall, these biological factors could pose problems in the reintroduction of this species.

Biological factors are not the only obstacles to the de-extinction of the Carolina parakeet, as many behavioral factors could also affect the reintroduction of this bird. The most distressing problem with reintroduction of the Carolina parakeet is its aforementioned response to predation. All animals have a flight or fight response to stressful situations, which normally means running away from the predator. Carolina parakeets, however, are extremely social birds and will issue a very loud distress call, which can be heard two miles away. Other Carolina parakeets in the area will hear this call and flock to the distressed bird. Therefore, when one bird dies from predation, hundreds will come to the dead body and provide a smorgasbord for whatever predators are interested in eating them.

A few other obstacles to reintroduction are the facts that since the Carolina parakeet has been extinct the climate has changed, human expansion has increased, and other animals have taken over the niche they once occupied. Since 1914—the year the last Carolina parakeet died in captivity—the average temperature in North America has increased by about five degrees Fahrenheit. Temperature increase causes higher metabolic rates and changes in the vegetation. With such changes it is possible that their metabolism and diet could be outcompeted by another species that is better adapted to the current climate. Carolina parakeets were also considered a nuisance species before their extinction. However, it is possible that these nuisances would be unavoidable since the birds would inhabit areas with human occupancy, such as farms. With expanded human infrastructure, the interactions between humans and Carolina parakeets would inevitably increase, and road accidents would be detrimental to population numbers because of their aforementioned flocking response.

Aerial view of Lake Okeechobee, the location for the Carolina parakeet’s reintroduction

In conclusion, our final management recommendation would be to release the Carolina parakeets in a private reserve on Lake Okeechobee in Florida.  Since we will be using the Jandaya parakeet, who is traditionally found in tropical environments, as a surrogate to bring back the Carolina parakeet, the bird will need to acclimate, or respond physiologically or behaviorally to changes in its environment, to the Lake Okeechobee area. A population of about two hundred individuals would be kept in a controlled laboratory setting for breeding purposes, and then about one hundred individuals would be initially released. This wild population would be actively monitored for three years with the goal of reaching at least five hundred self-sustaining individuals. At the conclusion of three years, a decision will be made to release more individuals depending on whether or not our target population size was reached. This reintroduction may cause the parakeets’ stress hormone levels to increase, which would in turn suppress their ability to respond to new stimuli in their new environment. However, if the target population size is not reached, there will be periodic reintroductions for enhanced genetic diversity, and all individuals will be vaccinated against poultry disease.

The public will be informed through a press conference at the start of the reintroduction, and findings will be released through local news sources as they are made. Long-term public support will be encouraged by advertising the Carolina parakeet as one of the only parrot species native to North America and one of the first species to undergo de-extinction, which will encourage tourism and stimulate local economies. Overall, the reintroduction of the Carolina Parakeet has the potential to be very successful, but it up to us to decide whether or not it is our place to bring back the species that have passed and alter the meaning of extinction forevermore.

For further reading:

David Pass, Ross Perry, Walter J. Rosskopf, Jr. and David L. Grahman. A.A.V. Newsletter , Vol. 6, No. 4. Winter, 1985/1986. pp. 103-104, 109.

Ortiz-Catedral, L. and Brunton, D. H. (2009). Nesting sites and nesting success of reintroduced red-crowned parakeets (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae) on Tiritiri Matangi Island, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal Of Zoology, 36(1), 1-10.

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Reintroducing America’s Lost Species: The Carolina Parakeet

      

By: MaryCatherine Douglas, Lillian Schermerhorn, Kyle Civalier, and Mark Foster

Have you ever wished you could see bright colorful birds outside like the ones you see at the zoo? The Carolina Parakeet was among one of these beautifully colored birds with exotic plumage of reds, oranges, greens, and blues that used to live right here in the eastern United States. Humans were the demise of their existence by over hunting them for their distinctive feathers as ornaments on women’s hats in the late 1890’s and because they were considered pests.


The last wild Carolina Parakeet died over one-hundred years ago and was declared extinct in 1939. However, we now have the capabilities to bring this species back. This isn’t science fiction anymore; with genetic recoding the Carolina Parakeet can be taken off the extinct species list and become reintroduced back into the United States. This of course comes with some concerns and complications that have to be addressed.

The Carolina Parakeet does not have a known major natural predator and feeds on many fruit crops similar to the Jandaya Parakeet of South America. Using the Jandaya as a surrogate species we hope to successfully reintroduce the Carolina Parakeet to the eastern United States. If reviving the parakeet is successful, its population size would have to be highly regulated, releasing them first into a bird sanctuary, then slowly into the wild where nesting sites and food sources would be provided. However, this could cause overexploitation of resources making them once again a pest to humans and off set the ecological balance for other species. If their population size surpasses the critical number, an extremely regulated hunting season may be allowed.

There are also physiological concerns for the Carolina Parakeet like if it is adaptable to the current climate in the eastern United States. They are not natural migrators but were known to hibernate during cold months. If the extreme temperatures become an eminent problem, they would have to either be relocated by human means or trained to migrate with the help of the domesticated homing pigeon. By painting the plumage of the pigeon to mimic the Parakeet and training it to migrate to a suitable seasonal climates. The Carolina Parakeet could learn to follow the pigeon during the migration period hopefully instilling the behavior permanently.

Although there are many stressors working against the Carolina Parakeet, they also provide a few potential stressors on the environment they would be re-entering. For example, they provide a threat to food crops because; most fruits are a large part of their diet. However, this problem can be easily solved by the use of sights or sounds that frighten them like how scarecrows and high pitches deter other birds and wildlife.


Humans were the main cause of the extinction of the Carolina Parakeet because we felt we had the right to use them for fashion. It is our duty to educate and publicize the return of the Carolina Parakeet so that we won’t make the same mistake again. The public will be able to visit their sanctuaries to see the unique parakeet first hand across the eastern United States. 

Hopefully this will raise awareness on why they went extinct in the first place and prevent it from happening again. Public awareness will be further provided by documentaries and interactive shows about the Carolina Parakeet. This will also have some economic benefits by bringing in tourists and local business. In 2011 bird watching generated about $32 billion in retail, $85 billion in economic benefits, and created 863,406 jobs in the United States. Although there are some ecological and economic concerns involved with bringing the Carolina Parakeet back from extinction, they can and will be controlled and regulated with care.

Further Readings:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/conservation/extinctions/carolina_parakeet

http://eol.org/pages/1047280/details

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=1573

http://www.mountainnature.com/Birds/