Local bird experts have launched a study to find outmore about the pet parakeets which escaped from their cages and have multiplied steadily in Durban.
The pretty, rose-ringed parakeets, sometimes mistaken for rare Cape parrots, are alien birds from India and some bird authorities are concerned that they could cause problems for some indigenous bird species.
Colleen Downs, of the School of Biological and Conservation Sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said rose-ringed parakeets had become one of the most widely introduced parrot species in the world and were now breeding in at least 35 countries on five continents.
Their numbers had also risen dramatically in several European cities, including London.
Most parakeets in SA were restricted to Durban and Gauteng, but they were also spreading their range to parts of KwaZulu-Natal, including Mtunzini and Port Shepstone.
The first sightings of these escaped birds were made in the early 1970s and there were now thought to be at least 700-1 000 rose-ringed parakeets in Durban.
This had raised concern that, as an alien species, they could displace indigenous birds, including barbets, by competing for the same food and nesting sites.
Because of the shortage of information on the exact impacts in this province, University of KwaZulu-Natal post-doctoral student Lorinda Jordaan was hoping to capture wild parakeets and fit radio transmitters on them as part of a study to get a better estimate of their numbers and where they roosted.
Asked if she believed it was necessary to reduce their numbers, Downs said: “We are only just becoming aware of how some alien invasive plants, birds and animals can upset the natural cycle… Much more work is needed to find out if there is a need to control their numbers before they become a problem.”
David Allan, curator of birds at the Durban Natural Science Museum, did not think parakeets were a big problem.
“They are mainly restricted to urban areas and are not sharing living space with red-data (threatened) species.”
While parakeets could potentially compete for food and nest sites with indigenous birds such as woodpeckers, starlings and barbets, Allan did not believe there was a shortage of suitable tree-nesting sites in Durban.
Parakeets seemed to thrive in human-modified environments, but were unlikely to multiply in rural environments where they were exposed to a wider range of predators. “The default position in some countries, especially Australia, is to assume that any introduced bird needs to be exterminated, rather than establishing whether they are really a problem.”
Anyone who can provide information on the location of rose-ringed parakeets in Durban can contact Downs at [email protected] or Jordaan at [email protected]. - The Mercury