andrewt@cs.su.oz (Andrew Taylor) (09/12/90)
In article <1990Sep11.164408.3602@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> rcb33483@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Kehaar) writes: >Yes, it was--I believe it was the only parrot on the planet that was endemic to >an area with a termperate clime. I KNOW it was the only parrot endemic to N. >America. Until we (mainly orchard owners) hunted that to extinction. There are quite few temperate parrots though only a couple in the Northen hemisphere. I think the Carolina Parakeet could have been the northern-most parrot if it was found further north than the Thick-Billed.
dmark@acsu.buffalo.edu (David Mark) (09/12/90)
In article <1192@cluster.cs.su.oz.au> andrewt@cluster.cs.su.oz (Andrew Taylor) writes: > >There are quite few temperate parrots though only a couple in the >Northen hemisphere. I think the Carolina Parakeet could have been the >northern-most parrot if it was found further north than the Thick-Billed. The Carolina Parakeet certainly extended far north of any record of Thick-billed Parrot. Thick-billed used to wander north only to southeast Arizona (probably no records north of 33 degrees latitude), whereas Carolina Parakeet extended north into Iowa and SE Wisconsin (latitude about 43). Thus it extended about as far pole-ward as southern Tasmania. Do any parrots in Argentina or Chile extend south of 43? David Mark dmark@acsu.buffalo.edu
jbm@safn2.UUCP (John McClatchey) (09/12/90)
In article <35658@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU>, dmark@acsu.buffalo.edu (David Mark) writes: > In article <1192@cluster.cs.su.oz.au> andrewt@cluster.cs.su.oz (Andrew Taylor) writes: > > > >There are quite few temperate parrots though only a couple in the > >Northen hemisphere. I think the Carolina Parakeet could have been the > >northern-most parrot if it was found further north than the Thick-Billed. > >Do any parrots in Argentina or Chile extend south of 43? > I don't know about Argentina or Chile or South America but I recall that there are some very rare parrots in New Zealand which occupy niches reserved for Crows and scavengers elsewhere. I think one species is called a Kea. If they range to the southern end of the South Island, that would be 46 degrees. Does anyone know something about this? John McClatchey
sandee@sun16 (Daan Sandee) (09/13/90)
In article <35658@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> dmark@acsu.buffalo.edu (David Mark) writes: >[ .. ] >Carolina Parakeet extended north into Iowa and SE Wisconsin (latitude >about 43). Thus it extended about as far pole-ward as southern >Tasmania. Do any parrots in Argentina or Chile extend south of 43? > >David Mark >dmark@acsu.buffalo.edu The nominate subspecies of Austral Parakeet (Microsittace f. ferruginea) lives on Tierra del Fuego and the immediately adjacent mainland. Tierra del Fuego reaches 55 S latitude. South of there, there's only Antarctica and some islands. Daan Sandee sandee@sun16.scri.fsu.edu Supercomputer Computations Research Institute Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4052 (904) 644-7045
AChamove@massey.ac.nz (A.S. Chamove) (09/13/90)
The kea ranges throughout New Zealand and seems happy scurrying around in the snow. In the absence of non-avian predators, they evolved into all sort of niches here. And they still look like parrots too which is nice.
root@cs.su.oz (Deus ex Machina) (09/13/90)
In article <35658@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> dmark@acsu.buffalo.edu (David Mark) writes: >The Carolina Parakeet certainly extended far north of any record of >Thick-billed Parrot. Thick-billed used to wander north only to southeast >Arizona (probably no records north of 33 degrees latitude), whereas >Carolina Parakeet extended north into Iowa and SE Wisconsin (latitude >about 43). Thus it extended about as far pole-ward as southern >Tasmania. Do any parrots in Argentina or Chile extend south of 43? I think several would. Austral Conure occurs on Tierra del Fuego (55 S). There are parrots on the islands south of New Zealand too. I think Red-fronted Parakeet was wiped out from Macquarie Island which is the same latitude as Tierra Del Fuego. Its hard to image parrots living among Penguins, Petrels, Albatrosses and Elephant Seals.
sunia@hpspdra.HP.COM (Sunia Yang) (09/13/90)
New Zealand actually has quite a few types of parrots but the kea is what every scrub jay would like to grow up to be. It's a brownish green bird with a bill the size of your index finger, standing about one and a half to two feet tall. They continually hound tourists in Fiordland- a huge national park in South New Zealand, tearing rubber trim off windowshields, trying to make off with backpacks, etc. The sheep ranchers hate them because they are reputed to attack sheep, espcially young and sick. Not a very nice bird. Sunia "I wish I were there again" Yang