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Post by Aardman on Feb 29, 2016 13:21:41 GMT -5
I'm curious as to why these birds are more commonly called Quakers instead of Monk parrots? I know they quake when very young, but, unless I'm missing something, they pretty much stop doing this when they're grown. I kind of think Monk parrot is overall a classier name.
Also, ours makes a sound very much like a monkey when she wants attention. I sometimes call her "monkey bird" when she's trying to get attention. I'm guessing the "Monk" in Monk parrot doesn't refer to simian behavior though. In fact, I can't seem to find anywhere where the "monk" name came from.
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Post by aaron on Feb 29, 2016 13:40:28 GMT -5
I'm not sure, really. I know that usually, if they are being referred to by their "Monk" moniker, it comes out as Monk Parakeet rather than Monk Parrot. Personally, I gravitated toward Quaker Parrot because I'd rather call them a "Parrot" than a "Parakeet", given the depth of their personality, haha.. Kind of a goofy reason. All in all, I have no idea why "Quaker Parrot" has stuck more in general.
I think I read somewhere that the name "Monk" has to do with the fact that green kind of looks like a hooded robe shape on them. But thus far I cannot find that link.
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Post by easttex on Feb 29, 2016 15:46:28 GMT -5
I've seen the same explanation, Aaron, but don't remember where. I prefer Quaker, too, for a couple reasons. When people would talk about them as agricultural pests or as being illegal in some places, it used to seem to me that most often they used Monk parakeet to describe them. Also, I have that idea of a parakeet as being that sweet little bird that we usually now think of as the budgie. The Quaker definitely has the long tail in common with other parakeets, but the attitude is more like a larger parrot.
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Post by beccilouise on Feb 29, 2016 17:37:48 GMT -5
I also prefer quaker, but have also heard both quaker and monk refers to the little white-grey circle on their heads that looks like a monk haircut. I've also heard that the quaker is to do with 'quaking' though. They're also sometimes called condominium birds. But I agree they are definitely more of a 'parrot' than a parakeet personality-wise. The difference between a 'parrot' and a 'parakeet' biologically is actually just the length of their tail feathers. 'toos and 'tiels have head crests and lories and lorakeets are distinct from parrots/parakeets in that they have brushes on their tongues and are nectar feeders. (incidentally, the difference between lory and lorakeet is the same as parrot and parakeet - different tail lengths!) Basically, these little guys are awesome whatever you call them  And don't they know it! |
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Post by cnyguy on Feb 29, 2016 20:54:12 GMT -5
I think I read somewhere that the name "Monk" has to do with the fact that green kind of looks like a hooded robe shape on them. But thus far I cannot find that link. I've read that in several parrot books too-- the appearance of the QP's feathering resembles a monk's cloak and hood. It's also said that it resembles the attire of members of the Quaker religious sect (as shown on the Quaker Oats package). And there's also the "quaking" of the baby parrots when begging for food that suggests the name Quaker. Yet another explanation comes from a very old parrot book written by the late Duke of Bedford, a noted aviculturist. He suggested that the name Quaker parrot came from their call, which he described as something like "quak! quak! quee! quee!" The closest Ralph ever comes to such a sound is when he imitates a duck quacking.  In North America, when the word Parakeet is used, it's almost always associated with Budgerigars. Other than parrot people, few people realize that a Parakeet is any type of small parrot with a long tail. |
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Post by bruce on Mar 3, 2016 23:46:51 GMT -5
A reference for the competing names is in An Owner's Guide to The Quaker Parrot, by Pamela Leis Higdon. It was published in 1998 by Howel Book House. She relates that there are multiple theories about how QPs ended up being called quakers, including the guttural sounds they make, the appearance resembling Quaker religious costume, and the shaking behavior of the hatchlings. To add to the confusion, QPs are also referred to as Gray-breasted parakeets and Gray-Headed parakeets according to Ms. Higdonn. I wonder if some of the names are a way of breeding and selling QPs in US states that have banned Myiopsitta monachus due to fears of agricultural pestilence/devastation from wild flocks of QPs.
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Post by easttex on Mar 4, 2016 6:24:00 GMT -5
I wonder if some of the names are a way of breeding and selling QPs in US states that have banned Myiopsitta monachus due to fears of agricultural pestilence/devastation from wild flocks of QPs. Fears which have never materialized here in the US, and are not well documented even in South America. Time to drop the bans. But we seem to be a very fearful people. I consulted what I consider the best resource on wild birds here, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website, and they mention another common name for the Quaker - the Quaker Conure. Monk parakeet is the official name. |
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Post by aaron on Mar 4, 2016 10:02:01 GMT -5
Interesting. I've never heard them referred to as a Conure before.
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Post by easttex on Mar 4, 2016 10:56:59 GMT -5
I might have seen it once or twice. Common must mean "not part of the official taxonomy".
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Post by bruce on Mar 4, 2016 11:00:09 GMT -5
With genomic sequencing, I have heard that the parrot family tree is being re-written. Perhaps QPs are closely related to the small conures, which last I heard were related to the macaws. I unfortunately have no idea where I saw the datum regarding conures.
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Post by cnyguy on Mar 4, 2016 21:03:10 GMT -5
Somewhere in my reading about parrots, I read that it was once thought that QPs were a type of Conure, but it was eventually determined that they are a separate type of parrot-- but reference to them as Conures may persist somewhere, if Cornell includes it as an alternate name for QPs. Another very obscure name for Quakers that I ran across is Montevideo parrot.
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Post by easttex on Mar 5, 2016 5:49:11 GMT -5
That one makes eminent sense to me, Gary. The only Quakers I've seen in the wild were the huge flocks in Punta Del Este, Uruguay, which isn't far from Montevideo. What a racket they made!
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Post by beccilouise on Mar 5, 2016 13:47:19 GMT -5
This is so cool! I had no idea they had so many names. I wouldn't be surprised if they were related to conures given their size and overall build, but they seem to be much quieter that the many species of conure I've come across, and that really IS saying something. Byron is not a quiet bird!
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Post by aaron on Mar 7, 2016 10:00:05 GMT -5
Man, those Sun Conures can be absurdly loud |
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Post by obironkenobi on Mar 7, 2016 23:49:56 GMT -5
I've only heard of them refered to as quaker parrots or monk parakeets. Rarely if ever as monk parrots.
Aren't indian ringnecks also considered parakeets? I usually think of them, budgies. bourques, quakers etc as keets. I think of conures/macaws/zons even lovies and p-lets etc as parrots. Doesn't the size/shape of nares have more to do with classification rather than tail length? Most keets vs. parrots have smaller or less pronounced nares don't they?
I have heard stories of quakers being called grey cheeked parrots to fool veterinary staff in states where quaker or monk parrots/parakeets are banned.  |
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And don't they know it!
