The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) has applied for a legal amendment to add ring-necked and monk parakeets to the official list of wild birds that can be hunted for recreation, amid fears the noisy green birds are spreading across Britain.
Numbers of the African and South Asian native birds have rocketed by 2,600% since 1995, according to scientists, and spotters report they have started heading north from isolated populations in south London. Hunting groups now want the right to shoot the birds, citing concerns they could harm native bird species and threaten farm yields.
Current Legal Restrictions on Shooting Parakeets
Landowners in England are currently allowed to shoot parakeets only if they are causing serious damage to crops or are judged to be a threat to wild birds or plants of “conservation concern” on their land. Killing the invasive birds for any other reason can result in a fine or a six-month custodial sentence. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, parakeets cannot legally be killed for any reason without special permission.
If environment officials agree to BASC’s request, anyone with a firearms licence will be able to shoot parakeets for sport during autumn and winter, outside the birds’ breeding season when they are protected. A decision on whether to amend the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to include parakeets and a number of other birds on the “quarry list” will be made next month.
Impact on Agriculture and Conservation Debate
Conor O’Gorman, BASC’s head of policy and campaigns, said: “The problem is they’ve got these big flocks. They come in and they peck and eat just small little bits off the apples and the pears, and they just move on. You can’t sell those apples.” However, conservationists are divided on whether parakeets pose a risk to native birds or actually do no harm.
Wildlife expert Chris Packham has urged people to “chill out and learn to love the wonderful ring-necked parakeet”. The origin of the parakeet population in Britain remains unknown, with urban legends blaming rocker Jimi Hendrix or a 1951 escape from the London film set of The African Queen.
