The Great British Parakeet Invasion – London, England

If you live in the suburbs of London, ring-necked parakeets may be a common sight these days. The exotic birds began appearing about 40 years ago, and now number around 50,000 in the area.

These parakeets are native to the Himalayan region of India, and have probably grown in numbers in the UK due to the release of pet parakeets from their cages. It is thought that the wild parakeet population started in the 1960s when Jimi Hendrix released a pair.

This short BBC documentary gives a captivating history of the wild ring-necked parakeet in England, and describes their habitat and habits up to 2008.