Why are there parakeets in the UK? The theories, tested.

3 min read
Why are there parakeets in the UK? The theories, tested.

Anyone who has seen a flock of bright green parakeets over a British park has probably also been told how they got here. The popular answers involve Jimi Hendrix, a Hollywood film set, a plane crash and a storm. A research team has now tested those stories against half a century of sightings and two centuries of newspapers, and the real answer is less dramatic.

The short answer

Ring-necked parakeets are here because people kept them as pets, and pets escape or get let go. It happened again and again for more than a hundred years before one group finally settled and bred in the wild. Genetic work traces most of our birds to Pakistan and northern India.

The stories people tell

Jimi Hendrix on Carnaby Street

The story goes that Hendrix released a pair of parakeets, said to be called Adam and Eve, in 1968. A 2019 study in the Journal of Zoology searched British newspaper archives from 1804 to 2008, thousands of pages of parakeet coverage, and found no report of a release linked to this story or the other main ones. The oldest media mention of the Hendrix and film stories the researchers found was a BBC News piece from 2005. The legend is a lot younger than the birds.

The African Queen

Some say parakeets escaped from the set of the 1951 film, which was shot at Worton Hall Studios in Isleworth, west London. Again, no account linking the birds to the film turned up until very recently.

Syon Park

Another tale has parakeets escaping in the 1970s from an aviary at Syon Park when a plane crashed through the roof. The researchers found no newspaper coverage of that either.

The Great Storm of 1987

This is the one story the researchers don't entirely write off. Sightings reportedly rose the following year, which fits a storm that wrecked aviaries. But parakeets were already breeding in the wild by 1971 and had been recorded in fifty counties by 1983, so the storm can't be where they came from. At most it topped up a population that was already there.

What the evidence points to

No suspect site stood out

The researchers mapped more than 5,000 sightings from 1968 to 2018 using geographic profiling, a technique first developed to narrow down where a serial offender is based. Worton Hall Studios, Syon Park and Carnaby Street did not show up prominently.

Escapes long before any of the stories

Parakeets were reported breeding in Norfolk in 1855, seen in Dulwich in 1893 and Brixton in 1894, and a breeding pair was reported in Epping Forest in 1930. These early groups did not take hold.

A ban, then a boom

For most of the period from 1930 to 1966, importing parrots like this one was prohibited. Wild records began to increase after that, with breeding suspected in Kent in 1969 and confirmed at two sites on the edge of south London in 1971.

Parrot fever scares

Fatal outbreaks of parrot fever were widely reported in 1929 to 1931 and again in 1952. The researchers suggest the panic may have led some owners to let their birds go, and a Middlesex newspaper in 1932 credited the 1931 scare for more pet birds being released. That is a plausible contributor rather than a proven cause.

A great many pets

By 1961, birds were a more popular pet in Britain than cats or dogs, with around 11 million in captivity across all species. More pets means more escapes.

Why the myths stick

One famous moment makes a better story than thousands of ordinary escapes. But the evidence points to ordinary escapes and releases, over many years in many places, until the birds found they could cope with British winters. The researchers expect the legends to outlast their findings. One of the study's authors also pointed out that releasing a pet bird can have consequences that only show up decades later.

If parakeets visit your garden

They are big enough to empty a feeder. Our Starling Proof Feeder Guardian Set is designed to keep starlings and parakeets off, so there is food left for the smaller birds. Fill a Little Lantern seed feeder with our seasonal bird food for the birds that stay.

Want more on the bird itself? Read 5 things you might not know about the ring-necked parakeet, or see all the birds in our garden bird guides.

While you're here

Because there's always something worth knowing about the birds in your garden.
Clare Cahill

Thank you for reading!

Clare Cahill is a bird enthusiast with a passion for observing and learning. While she definitely doesn’t have a formal degree in ornithology, Clare has dedicated hours to reading birding books and exploring nature, constantly expanding her knowledge and deepening her love for wildlife.

For Clare, birdwatching brings a sense of calm and connection to the world, offering a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. She believes that the more we connect with nature, the more we can do to protect and conserve it. Through her writing, Clare hopes to inspire others to take a moment to pause, look up, and appreciate the calm and connection that comes from letting a little wildness into our everyday lives.

About A Little Bird Co.

The seasonal bird food brand

We're a little company, supporting little birds. Find out more about what sets us apart.

  • What to feed the birds in summer

    Seasonal

    Birds have different dietary needs throughout the year, from nesting to moulting and surviving colder months. To support these changes, we’ve created seasonal blends – order a Seasonal Bird Food bag, and we’ll adjust the blend to match the season, making it easy to do something great for the birds.

  • Child holding bag of seasonal A Little Bird Co. bird food.

    Sustainable

    Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. We don't farm, process, and transport cheap filler ingredients that birds simply kick to the floor. Instead, we focus on premium ingredients they love. Our packaging is compostable, and our bird feeders and nest boxes are tested for durability and longevity.

  • Songbird

    We design our food and select our range of feeders with little birds in mind. Every ingredient in our blends is chosen because small birds love it, simplifying your bird feeding routine. Our feeders provide safe access to food while helping to keep out larger, more dominant species. Look out for robins, blue tits, wrens, finches and more visiting your garden for our food.

  • Support

    With birds in your garden, you’re never alone - they’re the friends who always visit. Feeding them supports wildlife conservation while bringing joy and calm. Whether spotting a new species or simply watching their daily routines, just ten minutes a day strengthens your connection with nature and boosts your wellbeing.

When life feels busy, the birds keep it simple.

There’s something lovely about how feeding the birds becomes part of the rhythm of your day. A scoop of seed, a clean dish of water - and then a pause, just to watch who turns up. It doesn’t have to take long, but those moments can be surprisingly grounding. A little burst of mindfulness, fresh air, a chance to notice your garden as it changes throughout the seasons, and the cheerful flutter of wings - it’s good for the soul.

Join our flock of bird enthusiasts who share a passion for sustainable and thoughtful bird feeding.

Start Your Bird Food Subscription

Shop our bestsellers

From our popular seasonal bird food to the Squirrel Buster squirrel resistant bird feeder, our range is designed to help you to create a haven for little birds in your garden.