Louisiana · Year-round resident

Monk Parakeets in Louisiana

When monk parakeets are present in Louisiana, when they nest, which native Louisiana plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 8a–10a yard.

Parrots (Psittacidae)Monk ParakeetMyiopsitta monachus

Status in Louisiana: Year-round resident
Nesting window: December
Broods: 1–2 per season
Hardiness zones: USDA 8a–10a

When to expect monk parakeets in Louisiana

Monk Parakeets live in Louisiana all year. Mild winters make Louisiana a major wintering ground for sparrows, wrens, and even western hummingbirds. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them.

Humid subtropical, with coastal marsh, bottomland hardwood forest and piney uplands in the north.

Nesting in Louisiana

Across Louisiana, monk parakeets typically nest from December. Plan around that window: November for setup, December for clean-out.

Very hot, humid summers and hurricane season June–November.

Monk Parakeets don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as flowering dogwood, eastern red cedar, serviceberry for nest sites.
Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after December.

Native Louisiana plants that attract monk parakeets

Of the regional native plants we track for Louisiana, these 8 provide food or cover monk parakeets use:

Flowering dogwood

Cornus florida · Tree

Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers.

Eastern red cedar

Juniperus virginiana · Tree

Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter.

Serviceberry

Amelanchier arborea · Tree

Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.

Winterberry

Ilex verticillata · Shrub

Deciduous holly holding red fruit into mid-winter.

Smooth sumac

Rhus glabra · Shrub

Red fruit heads hang on through winter.

Black cherry

Prunus serotina · Tree

Summer fruit and one of the top caterpillar host trees.

American elderberry

Sambucus canadensis · Shrub

Late-summer berry clusters taken by over 40 bird species.

Arrowwood viburnum

Viburnum dentatum · Shrub

Blue-black fall fruit and dense nesting cover.

Feeding monk parakeets through the Louisiana year

Top foods: Black-oil sunflower, Safflower.
In Louisiana's winter: Mild winters make Louisiana a major wintering ground for sparrows, wrens, and even western hummingbirds.

Full diet breakdown for monk parakeets · Best feeder for monk parakeets

Frequently asked

Are monk parakeets in Louisiana year-round?

Yes. Monk Parakeets are year-round residents in Louisiana.

When do monk parakeets nest in Louisiana?

Nesting in Louisiana typically runs December, with 1–2 per season. Clutches are 4–8 eggs, incubated for 24 days.

What native plants attract monk parakeets in Louisiana?

Flowering dogwood, Eastern red cedar, Serviceberry, Winterberry, Smooth sumac, Black cherry, American elderberry, Arrowwood viburnum are native plants in Louisiana that provide food or cover for monk parakeets.

Monk Parakeets in other regions

Connecticut Florida Illinois New Jersey New York Texas

Other backyard birds in Louisiana

Northern Cardinal Eastern Bluebird Carolina Chickadee Purple Martin Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Blue Jay House Finch Purple Finch Ruby-throated Hummingbird Carolina Wren Mourning Dove American Robin Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Red-bellied Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch Brown Creeper Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Orchard Oriole Pine Siskin Indigo Bunting Painted Bunting Eastern Towhee Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Eastern Phoebe Chimney Swift Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Eastern Screech-Owl Wood Thrush Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird House Sparrow European Starling Rufous Hummingbird White-crowned Sparrow Fox Sparrow Eurasian Collared-Dove American Crow Cooper's Hawk Sharp-shinned Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Barred Owl Great Horned Owl American Kestrel Wood Duck Wild Turkey Northern Bobwhite Mallard Great Blue Heron Belted Kingfisher Scarlet Tanager Eastern Meadowlark Brown-headed Cowbird Ruby-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush Winter Wren Red Crossbill Field Sparrow Gray Catbird Lark Sparrow Hooded Merganser Yellow Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Black-and-white Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Ovenbird Yellow-breasted Chat Orange-crowned Warbler Palm Warbler Red-eyed Vireo Warbling Vireo White-eyed Vireo Eastern Wood-Pewee Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Cliff Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Bank Swallow Common Nighthawk Eastern Whip-poor-will Canada Goose American Coot Killdeer Spotted Sandpiper American Woodcock Green Heron Great Egret Black-crowned Night Heron Turkey Vulture Black Vulture Osprey Bald Eagle Red-shouldered Hawk Merlin Peregrine Falcon Northern Saw-whet Owl Barn Owl Burrowing Owl Red-cockaded Woodpecker Savannah Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Horned Lark Dickcissel Blue Grosbeak White-winged Crossbill Brown-headed Nuthatch Greater Roadrunner Yellow-billed Cuckoo Brewer's Blackbird Rusty Blackbird Boat-tailed Grackle Great-tailed Grackle Rock Pigeon

Sources

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.