UK Parakeet Surge: Experts Fear Native Species Decline

The vibrant soundscape of London's ancient parks has been dramatically altered by the proliferation of ring-necked parakeets, with their numbers in the UK surging twenty-fivefold between 1994 and 2023. Originally from Africa and the Indian subcontinent, these birds, now estimated at over 30,000, have expanded beyond London to cities like Manchester and Newcastle, exploiting mature trees for nesting and abundant food sources.

Conservationists express growing unease regarding the parakeets' impact on native British wildlife, including threatened species such as starlings and lesser spotted woodpeckers. Concerns centre on competition for nesting cavities and food resources. While research on their specific impact in the UK is limited, evidence from Belgium suggests a significant threat to native cavity-nesting birds, and in Spain, parakeets have been observed displacing bats from their roosts.

The escalating population has prompted authorities to consider control measures. Culling has been contemplated in the UK, though public controversy has prevented its implementation. Given the parakeet population's rapid multiplication from an estimated 5,000 in 2011 to 30,000 currently, any control efforts are expected to be complex and contentious. Spain has already implemented humane culling programs, employing methods like shooting, netting, and egg sterilization.