Welcome the summer with the bright and colorful Carolina Parrot (Audubon Plate 26)! The Carolina parrot, also referred to as the Carolina parakeet, has been officially listed as extinct since 1939 but you can visit us from July 11 to August 8 to see it on display in our library. When this print was made in the 1830s, the Carolina Parrot made its home all the way from southern New York and Wisconsin to the Gulf of Mexico. It was the only parrot species native to the eastern United States, and one of only three species native to the entire country. The closest living relative of the Carolina parrot is the sun parakeet, which is now endangered. You can read more about the factors that lead to the parrot's extinction
in this article by the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove.
This print shows the adult male and female, along with a young parrot, which is identified with green head feathers instead of yellow. They are all shown among the branches of the Xanthium strumarium plant, also known as the rough cocklebur. It's appropriate to show the parrot among the cocklebur, as it was one of its food sources. The cocklebur is a poisonous plant, so farmers liked having the Carolina parrot around as a way of clearing this dangerous plant from their land.
Parrots are extremely intelligent birds, and with their curved beaks, the parrots in this print look like they are smiling at the viewer! We're grateful for the opportunity to share such a detailed and beautiful depiction of a now extinct bird with our visitors, so be sure to stop by throughout the month to see it on display.
Elizabeth Roscio
Preservation Librarian
