This was the only
member of the parrot family native to the United States -- today
in some of the southern states there are small colonies of pet
escapees that are thriving, but they do not belong here.
Though not as plentiful
as the Passenger Pigeon, the Carolina Parakeet would also travel
in large groups. Being fond of fruits and nuts it soon became
disliked among the people who relied on these commodities to
make a living -- they would arrive and devastate a crop and damage
the trees.
The hunt for the
Carolina Parakeet began for both the saving of the crops and
for plume hunting (feathers were in vogue). Once again man was
very thorough in his quest. Before long the numbers dwindled
and there was an effort towards saving the species but, as with
the Passenger Pigeon, this was another gregarious bird and would
not mate unless conditions were right. Another case of too little
too late.
We think of the
Carolina Parakeet's range as strictly the southeastern United
States but it ranged as far North as Illinois and there have
been bones of this species found in Oklahoma.
The last Carolina
Parakeet died in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1917.
|