Britain's wild parakeet population is largely composed of cold-tolerant Himalayan stock, allowing the Asian species to establish large urban roosts across the country. European research demonstrates that the thriving flocks harm indigenous wildlife while transmitting illnesses such as Newcastle disease and the human parasite Cryptosporidium. Controlling the species remains difficult, as an Oxford researcher calculated back in 2003 that stabilizing London's population alone would require a 30 percent annual cull. Although authorities dropped plans for a state-led cull due to expense and complexity, officials opened a public consultation in March regarding changes to the quarry list to permit…
Key points
Expanding parakeet populations disrupt native British wildlife, foul public green spaces,…: Expanding parakeet populations disrupt native British wildlife, foul public green spaces, and spread hazardous pathogens to animals and humans alike.
The British government abandoned a potential state-led cull in 2021 after determining the…: The British government abandoned a potential state-led cull in 2021 after determining the operation was impractical and far too costly.
Ministers opened a consultation in March to explore updating the quarry list so authorize…: Ministers opened a consultation in March to explore updating the quarry list so authorized hunters on private land can legally shoot the birds.
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Before we saw a single parakeet, we heard them: a disembodied static that grew louder as we approached Hither Green cemetery in south-east London. It was an early evening in late June, and we had come to witness an invasion. By the time my friend and I reached the cemetery’s western edge, the clamour was all-encompassing. We hopped the fence and picked our way through the gravestones. Above us now were the birds themselves, their kryptonite-green plumage, scab-red beaks, pearly black collars and trailing tail feathers unmistakable: Psittacula krameri, the ring-necked parakeet.
Hither Green cemetery hosts one of the city’s largest roosts. Every day at dusk, a sizeable chunk of London’s feral parakeet population returns here, to a specific line of poplars. They like to spend the night in the company of their own kind. We watched them come first in ones and twos, and then in larger chirrupping squadrons. Hundreds of them, and then thousands. At maximum capacity, the trees fizzed. Here was a pandemonium, a parakeet concourse. It gave the impression of community, greeting and conversation. “This,” my…
Unfavorable conditions at Seddon Park prevented a single ball from being bowled during the third One-Day International between India and New Zealand. Both squads experienced multiple disruptions, including an initial return to their hotels before the toss was even conducted. The eventual abandonment disappointed attending relatives of prominent players as well as spectators who waited through persistent delays.
Federal regulators are mandating updated label warnings across an entire class of diabetes and weight-loss treatments following reports of a rare condition called NAION. This disorder stems from reduced blood flow to the optic nerve and can trigger sudden, permanent blindness. Although an explicit causal link remains unproven, mounting real-world and clinical trial evidence prompted the agency to take proactive safety measures.
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