The Ring necked parakeet


The Ring necked parakeets are one of the amazing creatures that can be seen in the skies of London. It is one of the 20 most common species of London. But it is surprising to learn that these amazing birds which have made London their home are not native to London at all. The ring necked parakeets actually hail from parts of Australia and in the regions of Himalayas. These birds were accidentally introduced into London. There are many stories on how these birds were introduced. Some say that, a pair of birds escaped into the wild from an exotic film set in London. Whatever be the case, these birds are feeling at home and have become a regular in the trees of London. Researchers say that the population of these birds is exploding. They can be heard all the time along the Thames. These birds are 16 inches long and have a wing span of 7 inches. These birds mainly feed on fruits, vegetables, berries and even buds and seeds during scarce times. In other parts of the world like in the Indian sub continent wild flocks of these birds were seen travelling in search of farm lands. They cause a lot of damage to the farms in India. Recently their numbers are dwindling in India, attempts by the researcher to increase their number has not been successful. But in London these birds have no competitors their number is increasing at a fast rate. Until now there has not been any damage to the environment due to these birds in London, but the researchers are watchful. The danger to the ecological balance by introducing a new kind of species in to the ecology is well known. There are plenty of examples, where the ecological balance is affected when a new species is introduced. There may be adverse effects as the species may pose a threat to the other species in the ecology. The threat may be direct or the new species may compete with the older species for food and shelter. This was a huge cause of concern for the biologist. They did fear for the other species of birds when they learned that the ring necked parakeet was introduced in to the wild. There was a law in parts of Europe banning the breeding of this species in the wild. But these parakeets are breaking the law. Following an accidental introduction of these birds, they have been thriving. They have called London their home. It now features in the list of species that are common in London. The thing which is relieving is the fact that, the introduction of the ring necked parakeets has not caused any change to the ecology. They have also not posed any threat to any species. The species has been thriving. The biologists are a bit weary and perhaps a bit concerned t about the introduction of this species. They are worried about the fact that as this species is thriving and is becoming more and more common. In the future when there is a lot more of this bird they may compete with other species of birds for food and nesting sites. When other species of birds face competition then they might struggle and eventually lead to the destruction of the particular species. But there is another section of the biologists who believe that there will be no such problem in the future. They say that these birds will eventually reduce in the number as they themselves will face competition. So it remains to be seen whether these wonderful creatures will be detrimental to the ecology or not. They are preparing for any problems that might be caused to the native species of birds by these parakeets or any imbalance to ecology in the future.