The ring-necked parakeet population in the UK has increased 25-fold between 1994 and 2023, with numbers now conservatively estimated at over 30,000 birds, according to the British Trust for Ornithology. Originally from the Indian subcontinent and Africa, these bright green birds first appeared in the UK in the late 1960s after pet birds were released or escaped. Climate change has aided their spread, and they are now found mainly in London and the south-east, with recent sightings in northern cities such as Manchester and Newcastle.
Richmond Park, a protected national nature reserve, has become a perfect habitat for the parakeets, with hundreds of ancient trees providing nesting holes and abundant food sources. Their auditory dominance has transformed the soundscape, but the impact on native species remains unclear. Paddy McCleave of Songbird Survival notes that research on the parakeets' effects is limited and needs updating, but their rapid expansion has raised concerns among scientists and conservationists.
In other European countries, evidence suggests negative impacts. Belgian researchers in 2010 found that a third of nuthatch populations might be at risk from parakeet competition, though a 2011 UK study found no significant effect on nuthatches or other cavity-nesting species. In Spain, researchers linked an 81% decline in noctule bats in Seville to parakeets chasing bats from roosts, with 20 dead bats found showing beak injuries.
The UK government's 2011 risk assessment warned of high potential impacts on agriculture and native fauna, including disease spread and crop damage. Despite this, no culling has occurred due to public controversy. With the population now at 30,000, control measures are likely to be more costly and difficult. In Madrid, authorities have implemented a humane slaughter programme, using air rifles, nets, traps, and egg sterilisation to manage numbers.
