The amazing creatures which devoted their lives to the “apartment” nest building activity live in Feldman Eсopark. These are Monk Parakeets from Latin America. The birds received the name for their appearance – they can be of different flowers: green, yellow, white, blue but the head is always crowned by the gray hat like a monk. The birdies are small-sized, amicable, clamorous and hardworking.
They are also called colitis or quakers. These are the unique parrots known to science nesting directly on branches of trees, but not in hollows or other shelters. They build big, round nests (to 3 m in the diameter) on trees. These are real bird’s “condominiums” in which monk parakeets live in extended family flocks up to 300-500 individuals – each family locates in own apartment cell.
The process of such settlement’s building is quite simple: one bird couple starts to build the nest, another one uses it as the basis or one of props for the future dwelling’s wall and so on. An entrance hole is usually based sideways, sometimes underneath. The feathery architects are constantly engaged in building activity, repair and improvement of housing. It’s curious that they have a gender job specialization – males are responsible for external architecture, and females are engaged in interior design of a house. This is how it is also possible to define the bird’s sex, in spite of the DNA analysis or a surgical method.
The monk parakeets living in Feldman Ecopark also strictly and rigourously adhere to the constructive principles, as well as in their homeland. In the enclosure the birds built a huge house which is in a state of permanent re-planning and capital repairs.
“They build all the time. The main thing is the availability of building material. There is a material – they build, there is no material – they begin to strip the neighbor’s house and to build their nests. They do this all the time – the manager of the bird sector Feldman Ecopark Vladimir Perekhodovich tells about the pets. – We buy brooms and gather branches specially for them. No matter how much food you give them– for birds it is not enough, everything goes in work. We aren’t in time with building material supplies; it’s good that the young naturalists help us”.
The monk parakeets’ colony in Feldman Ecopark consists of more than 200 individuals. This big and noisy company lives in peace and friendship and perfectly gets on with neighbors – a large rabbit family living in one enclosure with birds.
“They comfortably coexist with rabbits because birds share food with them. They scatter from the dining table carrots, beet, apples and other vegetables and fruit which they are fed with. And rabbits accurately gather all this. And we practically don’t have any garbage here – advantageous for everybody. In general colitis is a very interesting bird. They are the real hardworking architects. If only there were such tireless builders in life – we, probably, would never suffer from ruin, – Vladimir Perekhodovich laughs. – It’s not that these birds are rare – they often live in houses in pairs or alone, in zoos they live in small groups. But in order for the monk parakeet’s creative talent to be fully appreciated, it’s necessary to observe them living in big flock as, for example, in our Feldman Ecopark”.
