Seth Ausubel:
The strange tale of the Mitred Parakeets in Queens: Each April for about a decade, until 2012, a flock of Mitred Parakeets (Psittacara, formerly Aratinga, mitrata), a.k.a Mitred Conures, visited Hillcrest, Queens, to feed on cherry blossoms.
Seth Ausubel:
Mitred Parakeet, Hillcrest, NY, April 3, 2010. All photos this date of one individual.
Seth Ausubel:
Mitred Parakeet, Hillcrest, NY, April 3, 2010.
Seth Ausubel:
Mitred Parakeets, Hillcrest, NY, April 15, 2011. Note the orange-yellow feathers on many of the birds. This may be due to dietary deficiencies, but other explanations have been suggested such as inbreeding, and Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease.
Seth Ausubel:
Mitred Parakeet, Hillcrest, NY, April 15, 2011. Individual # 1. Many of the birds were in poor condition after the harsh winter of 2011.
Seth Ausubel:
Mitred Parakeet, Hillcrest, NY, April 15, 2011. Individual # 2.
Seth Ausubel:
Mitred Parakeet, Hillcrest, NY, April 15, 2011. Individual # 3.
Seth Ausubel:
Mitred Parakeet, Hillcrest, NY, April 15, 2011. Individual # 4.