Positional Behavior of Introduced Monk Parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) in an Urban Landscape

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Positional behaviors comprise the entirety of animals’ locomotion and posture. Often, these positional behaviors are paired with information about sußbstrate characteristics (e.g., orientation, diameter, texture, height) and frequency to gain an ecological perspective of when and why an animal utilizes a particular behavior. Thus far, quantitative studies of positional behavior have been limited to mammals, leaving a major gap in our understanding of how animals utilize their environment. In this study, we present the first quantitative report of positional behavior within Aves, presenting scan sampling data from an established colony of Monk Parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) from Brooklyn, New York City. Parrots exhibited a strong preference for small and terminal branches when perching arboreally. Such a pattern is consistent with arboreal primates. We also observed an increase in locomotor diversity on artificial versus naturally occurring substrates. This demonstrates the potential importance of a flexible behavioral repertoire in facilitating a successful transition towards an urban landscape in introduced species and underscores the need for further studies exploring positional behaviors among urban wildlife. ABSTRACT: Positional behaviors have been broadly quantified across the Order Primates, and in several other mammalian lineages, to contextualize adaptations to, and evolution within, an arboreal environment. Outside of Mammalia, however, such data are yet to be reported. In this study, we present the first quantitative report of positional behavior within Aves, presenting 11,246 observations of scan sampling data from a colony of Monk Parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) from Brooklyn, New York City. Each scan recorded locomotor and postural behavior and information about weather condition, temperature, and substrate properties (e.g., type, size, orientation). A distinction was also recorded between natural and artificial substrates. Parrots exhibited a strong preference for small and terminal branches, a selection which may reflect targeted foraging of new fruit growth and leaf-buds. We further observed that the gait transition from walking to sidling appears primarily driven by substrate size, with the former preferred on the ground and on large, broad substrates and the latter used to navigate smaller branches. Finally, we observed an increase in locomotor diversity on artificial versus naturally occurring substrates. This demonstrates the importance of a flexible behavioral repertoire in facilitating a successful transition towards an urban landscape in introduced species.