KEY SPECIES

RING-NECKED PARAKEET

This popular cage bird has now firmly ingratiated its way into the avian scene, certainly in southern England. That said, it is slowly expanding its range north, with birds even being sighted in Scotland. Also known as the Rose-ringed Parakeet, it is a member of the parrot tribe, belonging to the Psitticula genus. It is a subfamily of 13 Afro-asian parrots all, more or less, of similar shape and size. Not all the members Psitticula have been as successful as the Ring-necked, as indeed, three species have become extinct. The parakeets natural range is in India and a sliver of East Africa, but they are to be found feral in many cities in Europe and across the world. Recent DNA tests have shown that the Ring-necked Parakeet’s closest relative is the endangered and range-restricted Mauritius Parakeet.