Illustration of the extinct Carolina parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis) or Carolina conure, perched on a Cypress tree, its former source of food. It was the only parrot native to Carolina. Drawn by naturalist Mark Catesby, 1731. Though formerly prevalent within its range, the bird had become rare by the middle of the 19th century. The last confirmed sighting in the wild was of the ludovicianus subspecies in 1910. The last known specimen perished in captivity at Cincinnati Zoo in 1918, and the species was declared extinct in 1939.