The Carolina Parakeet: Glimpses of a Vanished Bird

by Noel F.R. Snyder

This book provides the first comprehensive account of the biology of one of North America's most enigmatic and colorful wildlife species, the Carolina Parakeet. The only parrot endemic to the United States, this species once ranged in large, noisy flocks from Florida to New York, and as far west as Colorado. But although it was still widespread and common during the time of John James Audubon (whose illustration of the species is perhaps his finest work), the parakeet was gone completely by the mid-twentieth century.


Through analyses of historical accounts and presentation of considerable new information gleaned from interviewing senior citizens with firsthand knowledge of the species, Noel Snyder develops an intriguing portrait of the parakeet that challenges long-held assumptions.


Although it has long been believed that the Carolina Parakeet was exterminated largely by shooting, Snyder argues that exotic diseases may have figured more heavily in its final disappearance. He also presents evidence that the parakeet lasted far longer into the twentieth century than generally believed, and that it may have been toxic and distasteful to predators by virtue of its frequent consumption of the cocklebur--a plant highly poisonous to many other vertebrates. Snyder proposes avenues of research that could help resolve some of the enduring mysteries about this fascinating bird, and he discusses the significance of its extinction for wildlife conservation in general.

Genres: Biology, Nonfiction

168 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2004

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Admittedly, it’s an off-the-wall hypothetical question: "What is your favorite bird that you have never seen or ever hope to see?" For me, it’s simple: the Carolina parakeet.

Now that I’ve read Noel Snyder’s "The Carolina Parakeet: Glimpses of a Vanished Bird," I grieve even more. The only member of the parrot family to have lived in North America, it was arguably the most colorful bird to have graced our skies. It was also highly gregarious: nesting, roosting and foraging in chatty, lively flocks. But the birds’ vitality and vibrancy weren’t enough to save them. The magnificent creatures have been extinct for over 80 years. But why?

In his book, Snyder examines all aspects of the lost species including the late reports that the bird existed in central Florida into the 1930s, well after 1904, the most commonly accepted date of their last appearance in the wild. Generally, the late accounts were dismissed because they weren’t made by trained ornithologists, but using information gleamed in personal interviews the author conducted in the 1970s with the people who actually saw the birds, Snyder reopens the book on the parakeets last days on the planet.

Snyder also speculates on why the birds were so colorful. How did it serve the species? Using historic accounts and the parakeets’ affinity for cockleburs to make his case, the answer will surprise you.

If you desire to learn more about a species that you will never see or hope to see, this is the book for you.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noel Snyder reviewed the small amount of literature (mostly journals and firsthand accounts) and collected interviews from senior citizens (in 1979) about the Carolina parakeet (Conuropis carolinensis), the only parrot native to eastern North America. He paints a picture of a flashy, well-known bird that through our species' ignorance and intolerance slipped into extinction. He does a fair amount of speculating about the various reasons the parakeet went extinct, though non of it seems far fetched and is generally backed up with first hand accounts and knowledge from related species of parrots. The books is fairly quick and easy to read, definitely worth the time of anyone even remotely interested in these intriguing birds.