Seasonal and diurnal variation in Pacific Parakeet Aratinga strenua flock sizes in Nicaragua.

Full article

Published:

Volume 46(1), June 1999. Pages 39-43.

Language:

English

Keywords:

Aratinga strenua, parakeets, flock size, flight paths, Nicaragua.

Abstract:

Flock sizes of the Pacific Parakeet Aratinga strenua varied diurnally according to birds’ activity and seasonally. In the morning, parakeet groups flew along well-defined paths to feeding grounds, where they united in larger feeding congregations. The parakeets’ routes to the feeding grounds and back gradually shifted westwards through the study, perhaps reflecting shifts in feeding sites. Foraging and flying groups were larger in the dry season than in the rainy one, possibly to find food more efficiently and/or to better escape predation.