For some years now, visitors to suburban parks in the London area may have been surprised to spot a flash of brilliant green in the trees above, or hear the piercing call of the ring-necked parakeet: a tropical bird of Asian origin which has successfully become naturalised in the UK.
Invasion of the parakeets
Parakeets have been popular as pets since the Victorian times and from time to time individual birds have inevitably escaped into the wild or been deliberately released. However, it was not until 1969 that the parakeets started to breed in the wild in Kent and London (RSPB website). The birds seem to be well-adapted to cope with Britain’s cold winters despite their tropical origins, and there are now estimated to be around 5000 adults living throughout Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Greater London.
Parakeets are naturally vegetarian, but have adapted to enjoy a diet of foods readily available in the Southeast such as fruit, berries, nuts and household scraps. They even eat meat, and can often be seen visiting bird tables and garden feeders. Some experts believe parakeets could not survive in the UK without benefiting from the provision of food in gardens, and this may be why their distribution seems to be largely limited to urban and suburban areas.
Are parakeets a pest?
In some areas of the world, parakeets are considered to be a major crop pest. There is some evidence that parakeets may pose a threat to the Kent apple-growing industry, as fruit growers have reported damage to plums, pears and apples (Feare, 1996). However, a detailed assessment of the geographical distribution and severity of this damage has not been conducted, and the species is not thought cause significant economic damage.
There have also been some concerns that parakeets may compete to the detriment of other bird species, in particular great-spotted and green woodpeckers. Parakeets are hole-nesting birds and frequently use old nest cavities of native woodpecker species (Feare, 1996). However, no significant reduction in woodpecker population attributable to the invasion of the parakeet has been observed, despite careful monitoring by the RSPB.
Protection of parakeets
Despite their status as non-native species, parakeets are protected under the Wildlife and Country Act. Widespread and inaccurate reporting in 2009 suggested that this protection had been relaxed. In fact, Natural England had simply changed the protection status of the species to allow shooting of the birds by landowners only in very specific circumstances. The change was just an adjustment of the licensing procedures. Previously, landowners were required to apply for a specific license to cull parakeets, but under the new legislation now in force, parakeets are included in the general license available to all landowners to shoot birds shown to be causing significant damage to crops, other wildlife or posing a public safety risk.
Parakeets are here to stay
Despite widespread concerns that parakeets may become the sky’s equivalent of the grey squirrel, the modest population growth of this species does not appear to be having any significant ill-effects on Britain’s native wildlife. Careful monitoring of the situation should be continued, in particular with regard to the woodpecker population, but for now it seems Londoners can continue to enjoy the sight of this exotic bird at their garden feeding tables.
Sources
“Ring-necked Parakeet” RSPB website
C Feare “Rose-Ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri: a Love-Hate Relationship in the Making” The Introduction and Naturalisation of Birds 107-112 (1996)
“Statement on Monk and Ring-necked Parakeets” Natural England 2009
Veronica Mitchell - Veronica studied veterinary medicine at Cambridge University before becoming a secondary school science teacher. She enjoys writing about ...
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