Are rose-ringed parakeets a problem?

If you spend enough time outdoors looking at nearby trees, there is a good chance you will spot a ringneck parakeet.

The delightful birds are an invasive species and have been in Johannesburg for decades, with equal numbers of people who love and loathe them.

The Indian ringneck parakeets or rose-ringed parakeets have established themselves in many parts of the world. They are thought to be originally from Sri Lanka and are reported to live for more than 30 years.

Mike Browne is an avid photographer who has been fascinated with these birds in his garden for 30 years.

He often publishes his observations on social media to contribute to existing information about them, which is either positive or negative.

“There have been many comments which varied from enjoyment to concern. I have had requests for advice on how to attract them and how to get rid of them. Some say they should be shot or poisoned while others advise on how I could take better care of them.”

He added most of the comments, though well-meaning, were not anecdotal but based on hearsay from a few articles.

“There seems to be very little empirical evidence on their behaviour and specifically their threat to barbets and other indigenous birds.

“There is a large tree right next to our lounge window and birds of all varieties [mostly indigenous] have been happy to visit and rear chicks in its branches for many years. Birds visit daily so I can observe them from quite close up.”

Some of his observations are:

• Ringnecks are invasive, can be noisy and eat almost any food which the other birds eat. They are quite timid and are often scared away by other birds such as grey loeries and all species of barbets. “I have even seen one chased away by a weaver.”
• They do not attack other birds but do squabble with each other when fighting for food. “I have never found a dead bird in our garden that had been attacked.”
• Ringnecks have never interfered with barbets in my garden or tried to take over their nests.
• They are very scared of barbets who chase them. The black-collared barbet makes it a mission to chase ringnecks – not just away from the tree but until they are out of sight.
• When the barbet has chicks, the ringnecks disappear and only return once the chicks have left the nest. The breeding log is 2m away from the food source.
• Ringnecks can be very noisy at times and the adolescents are very curious and will nibble at stuff. “I chase them away when they try to peck on our windows.”
• Ringnecks are comical, acrobatic, highly intelligent, and entertaining to watch.
• An increasing number of ringnecks will be a problem to other birds, not because they attack them, but because they are so vociferous and non-selective feeders.

  

Browne advised people against intentionally attracting the ringnecks to their garden. “The ones that visit us arrived unexpectedly and we do enjoy watching them. They are beautiful and very comical and add to the variety of feathered friends that feel happy to spend their time in the tree outside our window.”

He concluded he was not sure what the answer was to deal with ringnecks. “When it is found I do hope it works, also with pigeons who aren’t even pretty.”