It is a well-known resident of the greater London area, roosting communally in large flocks. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images In London, parakeets are everywhere and their populations are spreading throughout the U.K. and Europe, prompting concerns the invasive species could harm native ecosystems. Image: Getty. But the good news, says Ben, is that although parakeets are ‘a nuisance at the bird table,’ there is ‘no evidence that they are having a detrimental effect on any of our native bird species’. London is at the center of a very loud mystery. It became established in the wild in the 1970s after captive birds escaped or were released. Parakeets in the skies above Wormwood Scrubs, west London. The study, published in Behavioral Ecology, involved monitoring bird tables at 41 sites within 30 miles of central London, including some which parakeets did not frequent. One such place is Kensington Gardens in West London. It is rather corvid, the ring-neck’s cry – suggestive of an intelligence more knowing than we expect from most birds. The ring-necked, or rose-ringed, parakeet is the UK's most abundant naturalised parrot. These small birds are common in London but nobody knows why Ring-necked parakeets have become a common sight in south-east England, but it remains a … ... certainly in London the … Follow @@wself. By Charlie Lawrence Jones. A colony of feral parakeets has taken over the British capital. That means if you put some seed in your hand, hold it out and wait patiently in the right place one of the parakeets could come down for a snack. It was previously suggested that George Michael was the culprit, after burglars broke into his Hampstead home in the 1990s and raided his aviary. Did Jimi Hendrix release parakeets to inject some psychedelic color into the streets of London? Visitors to London’s many green spaces would have to be stubbornly looking at their feet to not see one of the UK’s most exotic birds. A parakeet is any one of a large number of small to medium-sized species of parrot that generally have long tail feathers. Every year, too, they are expanding their range by a quarter of mile. The bright green ring-necked parakeet is an escapee and our only naturalised parrot; its success is likely due to warmer winters. The parakeet population is said to be increasing by 25 per cent per year, and as much as 30 per cent in Greater London. An urban legend that claimed pop legend George Michael was to blame for the arrival of wild parakeets in the UK has been finally debunked. By Will Self. Escapee parakeets are taking over London and although I hate their cry it’s their brains I’m most afraid of. Parakeets can strip bird feeders bare within minutes and research shows that songbirds will stay clear of gardens while the parrots are in them. Where did London’s parakeets come from? It can be seen in the South East. Thanks to the constant stream of people walking through London's parks the birds that live there don't see us as much of a threat.