Urban birds at Hull. 48. Ring-necked Parakeet

The Ring-necked Parakeet (also known as Rose-ringed Parakeet) is the only naturalised parrot species in the UK. A very distinctive bird for their loud calls and bright green plumage, it is unlikely to get confused with any native bird*. Ring-necked Parakeets are small parrots native from Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh, up to the foothills of the Himalayas. They have a long blue tail and a red bill. Adult males have a rosy and black ring around their necks nd a black bib (top photo). The long tail and narrow, pointy wings and straight flight are distinctive. 

Ring-necked parakeet feeding on garden apples by East Park, 15 October 2019. I've seen them eating maple seeds and apparently they are also fond of sweet chestnuts.

The UK population stems from captive birds which escaped or were released intentionally, most likely repeatedly over a period of time and in different places, as they were popular pet birds. The first breeding in the wild was reported in 1969 in Kent. Nowadays there are an estimated 12,000 pairs in the UK, and the population is still increasing and expanding in range. The bulk of the population is in Greater London and the South East, but there are now established in most main cities as far north as Glasgow. They are found near humans in parks, and large gardens in cities, towns and suburbs, where they might take advantage of bird feeding (or are fed on purpose), a range of bushes and trees that provide them with enough food year round and mature trees with cavities offering them nesting opportunities. They are sociable birds and are usually seen in pairs or small parties, and they roost communally in traditional roosts, where all the individuals of an area might gather in large numbers. 

My first parakeet in Hull, a lone adult male at East Park on a foggy day in December 2013.

A potential juvenile Ring-necked Parakeet, note the dark bill. East Park, 13/09/2022.

Status and distribution in Hull

Ring-necked parakeets are scarce resident birds in Hull. The first record in Hull is from the Bransholme Sewage Works on 4th May 1992, as reported by R.K. Broughton. My first one was at East Park in 2013, a lone bird that had been seen there for a while. East Park seems to be the first site they colonised, with the population increasingly growing. In 2025 a pair, apparently courting, was present. In June 2022, six individuals were seen flying to roost. At an early visit to East Park on 16th June 2023, 16 Ring-necked Parakeets were together in a flock, presumably after having roosted in the park. Roving singles or pairs flying over can be seen across the city, but regular sightings of multiple individuals have been reported in recent years at Kingswood (up to 5 individuals), and Noddle Hill area (up to 3).  Although there is no confirmed evidence of breeding - but see the potential juvenile above - the increasingly large flocks in several places indicates they must have done.

A pair of Ring-necked parakeets courting on the roof of the East Park aviary. 6 April 2019.

A very vocal female at East Park on 18th February 2025. Ring-necked Parakeets start breeding early in the year.

Conservation

The Ring-necked parakeet has increased exponentially in recent decades in the UK. Research across Europe has shown that native cavity-nesting birds (Scops Owl, Blue Tit, Great Tits, Starlings, House Sparrows and Nuthatches) or Greater Noctule bats can be impacted by competition for nest or roost holes with parakeets. In contrast, no effects on other cavity-nesting birds was found in an UK study analysing data from the BTO's Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). Parakeets can also monopolise bird feeders. The species, however, seems so far restricted to urban environments, which is likely to minimise wider impacts. There is also evidence of predation by a range of urban species, including Grey Squirrels, who predate eggs and young, Peregrine Falcons and Sparrowhawks, and Tawny Owls regularly take adults, and may take advantage of the parakeet roosting behaviour.

More information

BTO Birdfacts. Ring-necked Parakeet.

R. Hancock, R., J.R. Martin. Predation of Rose-ringed parakeets by raptors and owls in inner London. British Birds 108, 349–353 (2015).

Hernández-Brito, D., Carrete, M., Popa-Lisseanu, A. G., Ibáñez, C. & Tella, J. L. Crowding in the city: losing and winning competitors of an invasive bird. PLoS One 9, e100593 (2014). 

Newson, S. E., Johnston, A., Parrott, D. & Leech, D. I. Evaluating the population-level impact of an invasive species, Ring-necked Parakeet Psittacula krameri, on native avifauna: Impact of Ring-necked Parakeets on native avifauna. Ibis (Lond. 1859) 153, 509–516 (2011). 

Heald, O.J.N., Fraticelli, C., Cox, S.E., Stevens, M.C.A., Faulkner, S.C., Blackburn, T.M. and Le Comber, S.C., 2020. Understanding the origins of the ring‐necked parakeet in the UK. Journal of Zoology, 312(1), pp.1-11.

* In Hull, an Alexandrine Parakeet individual has reported at East Park at least since 2021. They are a much larger parrot, with a proportionally bulkier bill, and with a pink patch on the wings. The pink ring on the back of the neck is also wider. It has established populations in several European countries.

Alexandrine Parakeet, 22/01/2024.