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Parakeets in the U.K. – welcome additions or environmental pests?
Parrots are colorful birds from the tropics. They delight us with their beautiful plumage, mischievous antics and witty banter. We generally associate them with pirates, the Amazon jungle and unintentional mockery. Outside of tropical and some subtropical climates, we are only used to seeing parrots and parakeets in zoos or as exotic pets, not in large flocks soaring around south London. But according to a BBC report from October 1st, there are around 44,000 wild parakeets living in the U.K., with 90% of those located in the London area and their numbers are estimated to be growing at a rate of 30% a year.
Ring-necked parakeets in Kew Gardens, London. Photo by Jonas Bengtsson (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)
Many of the naturalized parrots in the U.K. are ring-necked parakeets, which originally come from India and Africa. Though many Londoners love the tropical avian transplants, the British government have recently declared them a pest, along with the South American monk parakeet, the Egyptian goose and the Canadian goose, according to an article in the Environment section of the Independent from September 30th. As is the case with many non-native species, it is a concern that in the future the parrots might have a negative impact on indigenous wildlife, as well as local agriculture. Classifying the birds as pests does not mean that they can simply be hunted indiscriminately, but rather that it is now legal to kill or disturb them with ‘good reason’.
While it is true that non-native species can have disastrous effects on native ecology, I’m not sure I’m OK with culling parrots. And that’s not just because they’re cute and smart. I mean; does London or the U.K. in general have any sort of situation left that even resembles its original ecology? Rats? And lets not forget, the animal that is perhaps most destructive to indigenous species worldwide – besides humans, of course – also came to these islands as a house pet: cats. And stray cats in Britain get ‘rescued’, not shot.
For more about the U.K.’s wild parrots, watch this 10-minute documentary from BBC2 – The Great British Parakeet Invasion featuring David Attenborogh:
By Graham Land
Additional resources:
BBC News – In pictures: Suburban parakeets
Clip from the documentary film The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
Tags: london, parakeet, parrot, UK, Wildlife & Flora
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Greenfudge.org » Parakeets in the U.K. – welcome additions or environmental pests?…
Parrots are colorful birds from the tropics. They delight us with their beautiful plumage, mischievous antics and witty banter. We generally associate them with pirates, the Amazon jungle and unintentional mockery….