Wild parakeets in the UK: exotic delights or a potential problem?

2022年09月01日

なぜロンドンにオオインコという外来鳥が生息しているのかを調べたことがありますか? 今日はここからリサーチしていきましょう。(English) Have you ever investigated why London is home to a non-native bird called the Green Parakeet? Today is where we will do our research.

Wild parakeets in the UK: exotic delights or a potential problem?

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Ear-splitting and eye-watering, the long tails and bright colours of ring-necked parakeets are becoming more familiar across the UK.

Origins of the wild ring-necked parakeets

Records of parakeets living wild in the UK can be found in the mid-nineteenth century.

But it is only since the late 1990s that the raucous green parrots have been seen in London and southeast England in significant numbers.

Commonly known as the ring-necked or rose-ringed parakeet about the band around the male birds' necks, Psittacula krameri is native to Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Researchers from the University of Kent took DNA samples. They traced the majority of the UK's parakeets to Pakistan and northern areas of India.

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Why are there parakeets in London?

A popular theory was that the birds escaped from the 1951 film The African Queen set, filmed in West London.

But according to a study that mapped historical news reports of sightings of the birds, none of these urban myths are true.

Scientists have found that most wild UK parakeets are descended from birds that initially came from Pakistan and northern India, which were kept as pets before being released.

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But why would someone give up a precious pet?

In the early 1930s and 1950s, 'parrot fever' made headline news.

The researchers found cases of bird owners catching psittacosis, a respiratory disease resulting in pneumonia and jumping from birds to people.

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The Ministry of Health banned the import of birds for 20 years.

Scientists suspect fearful owners or dodgy pet traders may have released pets during this time.

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Ring-necked parakeets have adapted to live in various climates worldwide and can even survive freezing winter temperatures in the UK and northern Europe.

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Ring-necked parakeets have now been recorded in most English counties, much of Wales, past the Scottish borders, and even across the Irish Sea in Northern Ireland.

The British Trust for Ornithology estimated 12,000 breeding pairs in 2016, with numbers growing.

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While the birds may have gradually spread out from their London stronghold to the surrounding counties, populations further north are thought to be the result of separate introductions.

They do particularly well near humans and have made their homes in many of our cities and suburbs - from London's Richmond Park to Didsbury in south Manchester and Glasgow's Victoria Park.

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Ring-necked or rose-ringed parakeets thrive in urban areas with extensive gardens and parks, which offer mature trees with holes to nest in and plenty of food year-round.

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Even in the depths of winter, bird feeders are kept well stocked, and parakeets are muscling their way to the front of this free buffet.

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When parakeets first appeared in the Museum's Wildlife Garden, Florin advised staff to shoo them away.

It worked - no parakeets returned to the garden after the first ones were scared away.

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Unfortunately, this approach might deter native birds, too.

For harmony, you may wish to provide a mix of protected and unprotected feeders, saving the higher-value fat and seeds for the harder-to-access feeding stations.

But it is harder to discourage parakeets once they are used to coming for food.

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If you want them to leave some seeds and suet behind for smaller birds, you might want to add harder-to-access feeders, such as those designed to deter squirrels.