Ring-necked parakeets: alien menace or victim of xenophobia?

Ring-necked parakeets are now a common sight across much of Britain, and whether they belong here is disputed.

The Guardian has a long read on the debate: Alien menace or victim of xenophobia? The battle over Britain's parakeets, by David Wingrave (10 November 2026).

Excerpt, in my own words: The birds probably got their start from runaway pets, deliberate releases and escapes, and their numbers grew after Britain's postwar bird-keeping boom. The most recent official count, in 2016, gave 12,000 breeding pairs, though about 50,000 birds is often cited today. A shooting group has proposed adding them to the quarry list, which would let anyone with a gun and a landowner's permission shoot them. Critics, including the naturalist Chris Packham, argue that much of the alarm is overblown and that the fear of newcomers is doing much of the work.