FLYCATCHERS AND OTHER FRIENDS IN FEATHERS 



© National Geographic SuLietv 



FLOCKS OF BRILLIANT PARAKEETS ONCE ROAMED THE SOUTH 

 The green-yellow-and-orange Carolina Parakeet (upper) ranged from Florida to Virginia 

 and westward in the early years of the Nation; some even wandered north to New York and 

 Wisconsin. Many were shot because they ate fruit, and now they are nearly extinct, but a few 

 may remain in remote southern swamps. The bird uses one strong foot m the manner of a 

 hand for grasping food, while it clings to a branch with the other. The larger Thick-billed 

 Parrot (lower) sometimes appears in southeastern Arizona in quest of pme seeds, which it 

 digs from tough cones with its powerful beak. 



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