All about parrots!

How did our wild parakeets get here? Where did they come from? Why do they stay? There’s a streak and shriek of magic about these bolshy, brilliant birds, that captivate explorers young and old right across the country!

Rose-ringed parakeets are the UK’s fastest growing bird population (watch out pigeons, they’re catching you up and set for global domination!). They’re now spotted nationwide, from Scotland down to Cornwall.  And they’re also found wild in at least 65 cities around Europe, and in more than 30 countries across five continents (read the full report here).  So if you thought you saw a flash of emerald in Amsterdam, or Los Angeles, or Plymouth, the chances are your eyes weren’t playing tricks!  

Found throughout our gardens and parks, some of these emerald green interlopers are now so comfortable in their new surroundings that they’ll feed from people’s hands – try heading to Hyde Park, London and holding out a juicy apple – you will be amazed!

‘Rose-ringed’ or ‘Ring-necked’ parakeets are part of the parrot family and originally come from the Indian subcontinent and central Arfica. They get their name from the collar of black and pink feathers seen on the male of the species.  Nobody knows exactly how they have come to colonise our skies, but it is believed they were introduced into the UK in the late 1960s.  Lots of popular theories exist – some say they escaped from the film set of the African Queen; others that Jimi Hendrix deliberately released them to add a flash of colour to London’s streets! More likely is that their numbers steadily increased in the wild as the result of domesticated parakeets escaping into the wild – they have historically made popular pets due to their ability to mimic human speech. Between 1984 and 2007 a staggering 146,539 ring-necked parakeets were imported to Europe, with over 16,000 being importated into the UK alone, before an EU ban on the trade of wild birds. It is now believed that there are over 32,000 wild parakeets living in the UK, and their population is ballooning at a startling rate. 

In the UK, rose-ringed parakeets are considered a ‘non-native’ or ‘invasive’ species. There are some calls to control their numbers, due to concerns about their impact on our native ecosystems and biodiversity. Although these parakeets have been with us since the 1960s, we still don’t fully understand their potential impact, particularly the extent to which they compete with native bird species for nest holds and food; and the economic risk of potential damage they do to agricultural crops, particularly fruit. 

While these risks will be closely monitored as parakeet numbers soar, we still find their shimmer of green a magical sight, and one that brings wonder and delight to little children everywhere as they flash bright feathers across grey English skies!

Pssst! Have you found a parakeet feather or spotted a green-feathered friend? Send us your photos and we’ll upload them to our spotter’s gallery here!

your photos & creations!

Have you drawn a parrot, found a feather, written a nature story, made a hedgehog house, created a hoggy poem of your own?  We'd love to see your creations and hear what you’ve been up to.  Send us your pictures, doodles, photos, poems and more, and together we’ll build a beautiful gallery!  Take a look here