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bigtree

(85,915 posts)
Thu Apr 29, 2021, 10:11 AM Apr 2021

The Parakeets of London


Dan Kitwood / Getty

Alfons López Tena @alfonslopeztena 22h
In the Greater London area, the population of feral ring-necked parakeets has grown to tens of thousands. Native to Africa and India, the birds are generalist feeders and seem to be well adapted to the urban settings and colder climate of southern England


Colin Menniss / EyeEm / Getty

The Greater London area is home to thousands of parakeets. The population of feral ring-necked parakeets has grown from hundreds back in the 1980s to more than 30,000 according to the last count in 2012. The birds, native to Africa and India, are generalist feeders and seem to be well adapted to the urban settings and colder climate of southern England. The origins of the London parakeet population remain a bit mysterious, and a few popular theories exist—that Jimi Hendrix released a mating pair in the 1960s, for example, or that a flock escaped from a set during the filming of the Humphrey Bogart movie The African Queen, or possibly that a storm damaged several aviaries in the 1980s. The parakeet’s impact on local species is still not fully understood, and studies are ongoing.

The Parakeets of London
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2021/04/photos-the-parakeets-of-london/618729/
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The Parakeets of London (Original Post) bigtree Apr 2021 OP
They're beautiful! MoonRiver Apr 2021 #1
stunningly bigtree Apr 2021 #3
If only they could be taught to sing "Ah-Woooo!" JHB Apr 2021 #2
Just thinking of that myself. Croney Apr 2021 #4
Oh, you stole my thunder! PlanetBev Apr 2021 #7
;-{) Goonch Apr 2021 #5
They weigh about an ounce less than a bobwhite quail. I'm surprised they aren't on the menu. albacore Apr 2021 #6
Lovely. To use the words of Terry Pratchett, "Who's a good boy then?". abqtommy Apr 2021 #8

bigtree

(85,915 posts)
3. stunningly
Thu Apr 29, 2021, 10:19 AM
Apr 2021

Last edited Thu Apr 29, 2021, 11:05 AM - Edit history (1)

...brilliant in flocks.



Parakeets peek out of holes in a tree in Richmond, England.
Bruno Guerreiro / Getty

PlanetBev

(4,098 posts)
7. Oh, you stole my thunder!
Thu Apr 29, 2021, 11:01 AM
Apr 2021

“Little old lady got mutilated late last night, Parakeets of London again!”

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