About the project

Invasive Parrots

Parakeets pose a number of risks to Europe’s economy and society, which worryingly are likely to increase as global climate change creates a warmer Europe. First, they pose a risk to agriculture. Farming practices will increasingly have to adapt to warmer climates; for example, maize, pecan nuts and sunflower will become more popular crops as mean temperatures rise. Parakeets are widely documented as being a pest of these crops, reducing maize yields by up to 81% in their native range. Furthermore, parakeets raid and cause significant damage to orchards and vineyards, sectors also set to expand as climates warm and which already note significant parakeet damage. Therefore, climate-driven expansion of parakeet populations across Europe will place increasing pressure on the economy. Second, parakeets pose a disease risk. These birds have the potential to transmit notifiable diseases to livestock and humans, such as psittacosis ¬(‘parrot fever’ in humans, which is the primary cause of abortion in sheep), Newcastle’s Disease and avian influenza. Their capacity to do so may increase as their populations grow in size and density (they can form very large roosts, providing opportunities for widespread disease transmission). Nevertheless, calls for culling are often unpopular: many people like having green parrots in their cities/gardens, regarding them as a harmless ornament. Therefore, parakeets attract both strong public support and concern, representing a complex socio-environmental conflict. The Action will therefore provide a major advancement in evaluating the factors shaping invasion success and will help place the EU at the forefront of invasion biology and global change research. Delivered management strategies will enable the EU to more effectively mitigate threats of the 12 other invasive parrot species and other similar avian IAS.