At NHSN, we want to do our bit to ensure that everyone can continue to study and enjoy the natural world during this difficult time.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be making available a number of papers published previously in Northumbrian Naturalist. Aiming to cover all areas of natural history, from botany to ornithology, we’ll be digging into our archive and library and making available publications that take an in-depth look at nature in the North East. All of which, we hope, will provide North East naturalists with a wealth of interesting reading material.
For the second post in this series, we’re pleased to share a paper by Ian Bond describing the establishment, spread and increase of Ring-necked Parakeets in North East England. Given that many more of you are now reporting sightings of these birds from across the North East, now seems the perfect time to share this.
Summary
The Ring-necked Parakeet (Rose-ringed Parakeet) Psittacula krameri is a prominent and well-established exotic species in parts of southeast England. Elsewhere in Britain, its occurrence is largely as an occasional escapee. In recent years it has established a toehold in northeast England where its numbers have gradually increased to an estimated 60-70 birds prior to the 2015 breeding season, and it is now regularly resident in three discrete local areas. This article describes its establishment and gradual increase in population and range across the region.