Carolina Parakeet

Also known as Carolina Conure, Carolinian Parakeet

Carolina parakeets roamed eastern North America in noisy, cohesive flocks, frequently roosting together tightly packed inside hollow trees of mature bottomland swamps. Their strong flock bonds proved catastrophic when targeted by hunters and farmers, as uninjured birds consistently circled back to attend fallen flockmates rather than fleeing. By devouring toxic cocklebur seeds, their tissues absorbed bitter alkaloids that reportedly rendered their bodies poisonous to domestic cats and other predators.