EXPLORE EPISODE FIVE - 24 to 21

No.24
Parakeet roost

It’s believed that there are about 30,000 Ring necked Parakeets (Psittacula krameri) living in the south east of England and the RSPB estimates that the population will rise to nearly 50,000 by 2010. There are many myths about how the Parakeet came to be in England, there are stories of how they broke out of airport quarantine, they escaped from the set of the African Queen, they were escaped pets, the list continues. Despite being used to more tropical climates the birds are able to cope with the British winter especially by living in gardens and parks where food is readily available.

Ring necked Parakeets have predominantly green plumage with a red beak and a pink and black ring around the face and neck. Although Parakeets in Asia are vegetarian, those which have adopted Britain as a home will eat all sorts of scraps as well as fruit, nuts and seeds. They’ll even eat meat. They usually feed early in the morning and late in the afternoon and are regular visitors to bird tables in gardens in the South East of England.

They start nesting in January, although sometimes they don’t lay eggs until June. They’ll nest in a larger nest box or an old woodpecker nest hole. Females lay between two and four eggs and the resulting chicks are looked after by both parents.

Find out more about Parakeets...

Weblinks

How do parakeets survive in the UK?

RSPB

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Photo gallery

Watch and Listen

Sanjida O'Connell watches as some of the Parakeets who've made the South East of England their home prepare to roost:

Watch the video clip

Listen to the sound of Ring Necked Parakeets with this link from the British Garden Birds website

Listen to the audio

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Tips

Tips for viewing this species:

• Keep your eyes peeled for the distinctive green birds in the South East of England.
• Have a pair of binoculars or a scope handy for a closer look.
• Watch out for them roosting in trees at dusk - they’re hard to miss with the bright green plumage and their gregarious nature.
• If you get up close to a Parakeet BE CAREFUL!... They’re feisty souls and can inflict a nasty bite.

Habitat

Parakeets are members of the parrot family. No parrots are native to Europe and no other member of the family has adapted to become a naturalised resident of the UK. Parakeets have been recorded in almost every county in England and there’ve also been reported sightings in Wales and the Scottish Borders. They’re found mainly in Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

Parakeets come from the foothills of the Himalayas so are well equipped to cope with British winters. They’re bigger than many native British birds so they can compete for food and nest space. They’re not universally popular in Britain some people think they’re too noisy and aggressive and that they’re stealing nesting sites from native birds. They’re even referred to as ‘green rats’ or ‘posh pigeons’. But, one of the very few people who’s been studying them says their bad reputation isn’t justified and they can live quite happily alongside native birds.

They’re gregarious like rooks and starlings and will roost together. A roost of Parakeets can consist of thousands of birds and can be very noisy. Sometimes they roost in the most unlikely places, for example Wormwood Scrubs prison in West London. Hundreds of the birds converge on a tiny copse in the Scrubs nature reserve.