London’s Colourful, Feathered Residents: The Rise of the Urban Parrot
By Sophie Wisbey
November 2024
Ring-necked parakeets (Psittacula krameria) : bright green, loud and very much as exotic as they sound. Now how would you feel if I told you that you don’t need to go to a zoo or a fancy holiday to see them? In fact these adaptable and highly intelligent birds have become London’s new popular resident. With estimated numbers of around 50,000, they are now one of the most widespread non-native bird species in the UK! However with their new found stronghold in our cities, their abundance has impacts on our beloved, native birds such as woodpeckers and blue tits. Invasive species have huge effects on the planet, especially with human interference making this a common issue. I aim to explain the consequences of how invasive species impact local biodiversity, particularly bird populations, and why our biodiversity literacy group can help with this issue. With the hope that not only you are encouraged to pay attention to birds especially in urban areas but that awareness is raised for the problems surrounding them.
Figure 1, Parakeet Pair
What are ring-necked parakeets and how can I identify them?
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Ring-necked Parakeets are a lively and social bird. Appearance wise, you cant miss them with their bright vivid green colour. If they have a black and pink collar-like mark around their neck, they are an adult male (>3yrs), if this mark is missing or very faint they are female or a juvenile. Their strong beak is bright red whilst their eyes are golden-yellow, adding to their bright colourings. Normally measuring around 40cm with the tail taking up half of this measurement.
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It would be rare to find these social birds not in a pair or flock, when food is abundant it can reach to 100! If you miss their swift and direct flights between trees, you’ll be sure to pick up their loud calls if you listen. You can distinguish the traditional squawks you’d think a parrot makes, to melodic whistles. They’ve even been known to mimic human sounds! If you’re lucky you’ll witness the males courtship display between March and May during spring breeding season. This performance includes head bobbing to show off their neck rings, offering food and
puffing up their feathers.
Figure 2, Older scientific drawing of the ring-necked or Bengal parakeet.
The impacts of the new chicks in town:
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Native to Africa and South Asia, the journey to their now home in London would be impossible without humans. They were first imported as exotic pets around the 1850’s, popular in Victorian aviaries. However, the feral populations weren’t observed until the 1960’s. There are a couple theories as to when they first established themselves in our urban areas, although all agree that it was through both accidental and intentional releases.
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One theory is that the adaptability of these birds meant that these escaped pets thrived in the cities mild climate. Another, is that a change in pet regulations meant many were abandoned by owners and shops. Genetic studies suggest that the birds originate from multiple introductions, backing up both theories. However, my favourite theory by far is that a flock of parakeets escaped from the set of the 1951 film The African Queen, which was partly filmed in England (although this is more myth than fact).
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The birds have adapted to thrive in London’s parks and many green spaces, famously in Richmond Park and Kew Gardens. Although now they have created distinct breeding groups as far north as Scotland! Whilst London’s weather is colder than their native habitats, these birds are resilient and the city is warmer than rural areas due to the urban heat island effect (where cities experience higher air temperatures to the infrastructure and artificial ground). Surviving on the ample food sources, primarily seeds, fruit, bird feeders and human food, available in the densely populated space. One huge advantage they have is that they are opportunistic feeders, meaning they can easily devour a piece of toast (please don’t feed them though! It will help them outcompete other species). Urban areas mean they don’t have many natural predators, and the large birds like peregrine falcons don’t target birds
as small as the parakeets.
Figure 3, Winter distributions of the Ring-necked Parakeet (Ring-necked Parakeet | BTO - British Trust for Ornithology,)
While these birds bring vibrancy to the urban land, they also present challenges for native wildlife already competing in a human dominated space. Being cavity nesters, they need a natural tree hole or nook in buildings. However woodpeckers, nuthatches and owls also rely on these limited spaces and the competition can reduce their breeding success. The parakeets aggressive nature (small but feisty) and high reproductive rate means they can outcompete native species in food resources as well, in particular starlings and sparrows, which have been
shown to have declining populations in parks shared with parakeets.
Figure 4, Example of a nest, Ring-necked parakeets are cavity nesters.
More research needs to be done into their impacts especially as their populations are continuously growing. However invasive species on the whole can be detrimental to the ecology, biodiversity loss, feeding on farmers land, and threats to human health by spreading diseases not usually carried. A big part of documenting the biodiversity of an area depends on understanding which species are not native and how they affect the ecology and other species. This knowledge can then be applied to strategies to help prevent native species being outcompeted, for example installing specifically designed nest boxes that are inaccessible for parakeets.
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The message of the blog:
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I was spending a winters day walking through Richmond park when I first noticed the green flash. I found it incredible that a parakeet had adapted to the busy and loud city, especially in the cold weather. It intrigued me enough to look into them and their history, and I thought that should shine a light on these tropical squatters.
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Now you might be wondering, if I started off this blog with a rave about these fascinating birds and ended on the serious note of how invasive species can be bad, what is the message? Now to begin with, I wanted to encourage more people to stop, look and listen to wildlife. These vibrant birds are great because of being hard to misidentify and their abundance in easy to access places. Also, urban places are full of wildlife, you should start looking for it in places you wouldn’t expect. I realised I had never really took in the birds that cohabitated my space until we started learning to identify them. Since becoming a member of the biodiversity literacy project I can’t leave my house without noticing at least one bird!
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The birds themselves are a fascinating example of how resilient life on earth can be, however they are also a useful case of how human interference can impact wildlife. Invasive species are becoming ever more common especially with globalisation. Knowing how they impact the natural world on a local scale can help projects such as ours to develop strategies and create specialised habitats to avoid issues arising from invasive species. Additionally, educating the community on these impacts and encouraging them to report sightings can help monitor the populations.
For more information:
Ring-necked parakeet | The Wildlife Trusts
Ring-necked Parakeet | BTO - British Trust for Ornithology
Wild parakeets in the UK: exotic delights or a potential problem? | Natural History Museum