A FLASH of green here and there, a noise you just can’t quite put your finger on – you may have seen a parakeet in Southampton.
Speculation on social media has been rife as people try to get to the bottom of the city’s parakeet mystery.
Are they people’s pets? Are they wild? Why are they in Southampton?
We’ve spoken to a couple of experts to answer your burning questions about the intriguing birds.
‘A non-native species’
Carmen Green, ecology manager at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, told why the birds are in Southampton.
She said: “The parakeets are a non-native species that first became established in the wild in the 1970s, after captive birds escaped or were released.
“They are mostly concentrated around London and the surrounding areas but are gradually dispersing and spreading in southeast England, hence why they are more regularly seen in Southampton.
“They can be seen all year round.”
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This was echoed by Keith Betton, chairman of the Hampshire Ornithological Society.
He said: “These ring-necked parakeets are originally from India.
“The birds get together in large numbers and in Southampton, they are mostly in areas by Riverside Park and the Mansbridge area. It’s likely they bred there a couple of years ago.”
What should you do if you see them?
Carmen added: “It can be useful for conservationists to be informed of sightings, so we would recommend people submit any records of parakeets they’ve seen to online databases such as BirdTrack, Living Record or iRecord.”
She added: “Parakeet sightings are not unusual these days, especially in Southampton where they are seen quite regularly.”
According to Keith, parakeets enjoy being together and are often seen in groups.
He said: “Parakeets like to be together, so wherever they find each other they stay together.
“Somebody also could have released one or two in Southampton, or they were travelling around looking for others.
“Parakeets can be pests and they are noisy in the springtime when they breed.”
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