Parakeets are causing concerns in a park in Glasgow– leading to a potential ‘cull’ as has been the case in London and also in Spain,
About 20 or 30 of the birds have made their home in Victoria Park in the west of the city, leading to the Scottish Natural Heritage deeming them the most northerly flock of parrots in the world.
A parakeet is any one of a large number of small to medium-sized species of parrot that generally have long tail feathers. It is believed the parakeets were kept as pets – and either escaped – or deliberately released.
The main concerns are the invasive parakeets will affect local wildlife – as they do in Spain – along with bird droppings, causing diseases, in years ahead.
Stan Whitaker of Scottish Natural Heritage told BBC Scotland’s The Nine programme:”Surprisingly parakeets seem to be very adaptable to different environmental conditions,”
“Almost certainly parakeets were kept as pets and they have either escaped or perhaps been deliberately released.”
“Invasive species cause impacts on native wildlife, the economy and the way that we live.
“Their droppings can also spread diseases.
“So we can’t just think about what the impacts are at the moment, we have to look ahead 40, 50 years into the future and see what impacts are likely to be then.”
A study is being carried out by government wildlife agency Scottish Natural Heritage to see if Scotland’s only breeding colony of ring-necked parakeets will have to be removed.
Mr Whitaker said: “It would be feasible to catch them and potentially rehome them.
“If we allow it to get much bigger, certainly in London the way that the fruit farmers manage them there is by shooting.”
