Unlimited edition. 18 x 24 inch, museum-quality poster on matte paper.

The red-masked parakeet is the famous “wild parrot of San Francisco.” You may have heard it called a cherry-headed conure. That misnomer is telling; it’s the name the pet trade uses for the species, and the pet trade is responsible for the naturalized San Francisco parakeet population. San Francisco isn’t alone. Populations of red-masked parakeets are now established on some Hawaiian Islands, towns and cities in Southern California, in and around Miami, Florida, and in towns in southern Spain, all thanks to people releasing their pets (both unintentionally and intentionally). 🦜🤦

The red-masked parakeet is native to lowland forests of Ecuador and Peru. Both the native South American population and the smaller, established populations around the world feed on fruits and seeds and roost in large flocks at night, generally returning to the same location each evening. During the day, smaller, foraging flocks of between 2-25 birds spend much of each day feeding, socializing, preening, and courting in other locations.

The native South American population is considered Near Threatened (an official conservation designation) due to habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as capture for the pet trade. By contrast, it seems the naturalized populations in places like San Francisco are generally growing. Fortunately, research so far suggests these populations are “exotic, but not invasive,” because they do not appear to be having detrimental effects on native bird species or habitats. There are also some good controls; in San Francisco, the parakeets have become favorite targets of raptors like Cooper’s hawks.

Note: These archival poster prints feature rich, appealing colors. I encourage customers to take care in handling them until they are framed/protected for display; the darker colors on the matte paper can be scratched. They ship rolled, so customers need to flatten them before framing (or have their framer do so).

Charitable Sales Model: Whenever one of these poster prints is purchased, a charitable contribution equal to 10% of the print’s cost (or $3.60) is made to a nonprofit working to tackle environmental or social challenges. Read more about my charitable sales model here.