Escapee parakeets wreak havoc over Paeroa

Monday, 15 February 2016

Pet birds that have escaped their owners are ruffling the feathers of the Waikato Regional Council.

A group of Indian ring neck parakeets have set up home near Paeroa and the council is calling on owners of the species to do all they can to prevent more from escaping.

It's unclear exactly how the 12-15 bird population, which are usually green or yellow but can also be blue or grey, became established in Hikutaia. It's possible the birds were once pets but have since flown the coop.

Regional council biosecurity officer Thomas Malcolm said the council and other agencies want to prevent the parakeets from spreading their wings across the region.

'Late last year the Indian ring neck parakeet was [declared] an unwanted organism by the Ministry for Primary Industries as they can do severe damage to crops and introduce diseases among native birds, such as the endangered native kaka.'

The unwanted organism status means the parakeets can't be released into the wild without permission from the ministry.

Breeding or exhibiting the parakeets in captivity or selling them to be held in captivity is permitted.

The council, the ministry and the Department of Conservation are now considering options for controlling the Hikutaia birds.

'In the meantime we encourage all owners of these birds to do all they can to prevent escapes, and to get their wings clipped regularly.

'If they no longer want their pet bird, or cannot care for it any longer, people should not release it into the wild. There are aviaries that will take them.' 

Malcolm said there were no other known groups of parakeets in the wild, around the Waikato, at this time.

People are asked to take note of the location and time birds are seen, how many there were, the direction they were heading and what they were doing.

Anyone who believes they have seen Indian ring necked parakeets can report sightings to the ministry on 0800 80 99 66.