Ring-necked Parakeet

Habitat: In Europe, in orchards, parks and large gardens. In its original habitat, in open deciduous forests. They also prove to be resistant to winter conditions without additional feeding. Most parakeets appear to originate from southern Asia, some possibly from Africa.

Appearance: The only wild parrot in Europe, escaped from captivity in the 1970’s and has since become feral. The release of 45 specimens from a small Brussels zoo in 1974 marked the start of a growing population, which now lives within a 40 km radius of Brussels and numbers more than 7,000. In Belgium and the Netherlands, it is an exotic species, a rare breeding bird and a year bird.

Breeding season: February to July, nesting in tree hollows, 3 to 4 eggs.

Characteristics: Length 37 to 43 cm, wingspan 42 to 48 cm, weight 95 to 140 grams, age 20 years.

Food: It is an omnivore and feeds on various fruits such as pears, apples, medlars and hawthorn berries, as well as the seeds of hornbeam, maple and pine. It also visits feeding places with peanuts, sunflower seeds or mixed seeds and likes bread.