 CAROLINA PAROQUET (Conuropsis carolinensis) Former range from Gulf states to Colorado, Nebraska and New York. This was the only parrot of eastern North America. The parakeets gradually disappeared over a period or 90 years. When their natural food, cockleburs, were not available, these birds would flock to farmers' orchards and fields, rapidly destroying the precious crops. Farmers retaliated by destroying entire flocks. These birds were also collected for their colorful feathers. By the 1890's, the parakeets were already uncommon, and collectors eagerly caught the few remaining birds to sell them to zoos. The last known pair of parakeets lived in the Cincinnati Zoo for some 35 years. They were called "Incas" and "Lady Jane." In the late summer of 1917, Lady Jane passed away, leaving her mate listless and mournful. Alone, and the last of his kind, Incas quietly "died of grief" on February 21, 1918. Scan from Audubon's Birds of America Plate 26 |