Parakeet population causing problem for power companies

Little gray-cheeked monk parakeets have caused big problems for power companies around the country for years.

Now University of Florida researchers may have devised a way to control the monk parakeet population by using contraception, according to Michael Avery, a wildlife biologist and researcher at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Wildlife Research Center.

Unlike other parakeet species, which prefer to nest in tree holes, the monk parakeet builds its nests atop electric utility structures and uses large sticks and branches that often fall and hit electrical equipment, causing short-circuits and power outages, Avery said.

In 2006, Avery and his team of researchers began field work in South Florida, where monk parakeet nests presented the worst problems for Florida Power & Light.

The researchers installed feeders containing a mix of wild bird seed, hulled sunflower seeds and fresh fruit near utility substations known to have parakeet nests.

Once the parakeets were using the feeders, researchers replaced the mix with just sunflower seeds.

Later, they combined the seeds with the avian contraceptive, DiazaCon, which interferes with the birds' blood cholesterol levels and reproductive hormones.

At 10 sites during the two-year study, DiazaCon reduced the number of nestlings by 68 percent - from more than four per nest to less than two.

The birds, which are an invasive species from South America, were brought to the U.S. as pets, but their numbers began to grow as they escaped into the wild.

It wasn't until the early 1990s, most notably after Hurricane Andrew, that the birds' habitat preference became a problem, said Jim Lindsay, a principal biologist with Florida Power & Light.

Efforts to scare off monk parakeets with loud noises, perches, lasers and bird effigies did nothing to deter them, Avery said.

Most recently, power companies have tried to remove the nests, though the birds often rebuild them.

Now, Avery and his group hope to get DiazaCon registered with the Environmental Protection Agency as a contraceptive bait for parakeet management.

But first they must devise a way to avoid "non-target" birds from eating the contraceptive.

Specially designed feeders are currently being tested to keep other types of birds from getting to the DiazaCon.

It's a long-term approach, Avery said, and so far it seems promising.

"These really are charismatic, cute little birds, and we don't want to eradicate them," Avery said.

"People like to see them flying around," he said.

For more information, visit www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlifedamage/nwrc/.