Naturalised citizens

A sight and sound which has become very familiar in the UK, particulalrly in parts of London, are the flocks of ring-necked parakeets flying and squawking around our treetops. The present population is estimated to be 30,000 birds and rising. They escaped 40-50 years ago, possibly from a zoo or possibly from a film set. There are even rumours that Jimmy Hendrix may have released a pair from his girlfriend's flat. A lot of people are unhappy that these invaders are spreading, certainly the noise they make is rather loud. But there is a more serious accusation: that they are out-competing our native birds for nesting sites. However, research suggests that the UK has enough trees with sufficient holes in them for everyone to nest happily.