Black-hooded Parakeet
Conservation status

Least Concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae
Subfamily: Psittacinae
Tribe: Arini
Genus: Nandayus
Species: N. nenday
Binomial name
Nandayus nenday
(Vieillot, 1823)

The Black-hooded Parakeet (Nandayus nenday) is also known as the Nanday Parakeet or Nanday Conure. The bird is native to South America from southeast Bolivia to southwest Brazil, central Paraguay and northern Argentina, from the region known as the pantanal. Caged birds have been released in some areas and the birds have established self sustaining populations in the Los Angeles, California and St. Petersburg, Florida areas of the United States.

The bird is 32-37 cm in length, and is mostly green in color. The species' most distinguishing characteristic, for which it is named, is its black facial mask and beak. It also shows black trailing flight feathers on its wings and has a long tail edged at the end in blue.

The bird feeds on seeds, fruit, palm nuts, berries, flowers and buds. Feral birds will also come to bird feeders. Wild birds primarily use scrub forest and forest clearings around settlements. It frequents open savannah, pastures and stockyards in South America where it is considered a pest in some areas.

Black-hooded Parakeets usually find holes in trees to nest in. It lays 3-4 eggs. After raising its young, all birds will form rather large communal roosts until the next breeding season.

Fearing the birds may escape and become feral agricultural pests, the state of Tennessee bans the keeping of Black-hooded Parakeets as well as Monk Parakeets.

In captivity they make wonderful pets if cared for and socialized properly. They all have distinct personalities and appreciate a roomy cage and toys. They are a great first bird if one can care for them properly. They also like to be outside of their cage at least two hours a day. You can do this easily by providing them with a play stand or play gym to climb in. With the play gym they can easily stay out hours until they are bored. Most owners leave them in their play stands or play gyms for hours each day. They eat a pellet based diet with fruit and vegetables daily. This can be accomplished by giving them a raisin, apple slice, or other fruit or veggie daily. These birds are extremely intelligent and skilled escape artists. Some of them will talk, others will not, depending on their personality. They are also loud natured birds not suited for apartments.

A prehistoric relative, Nandayus vorohuensis, was described from Late Pliocene fossils found in Argentina.

References

* BirdLife International (2004). Nandayus nenday. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
* "National Geographic" Field Guide to the Birds of North America ISBN 0-7922-6877-6
* Handbook of the Birds of the World Vol 4, Josep del Hoyo editor, ISBN 84-87334-22-9
* "National Audubon Society" The Sibley Guide to Birds, by David Allen Sibley, ISBN 0-679-45122-6