ARCHIVED - Madrid declares war on Argentinian monk parakeets

Madrileños are sick of 12,000 parrots causing dangers to public safety and threatening native bird species

It may come as a surprise to those who are not familiar with the parks of the city, but the Town Hall of Madrid has decided in response to strong feelings among members of the public that a systematic cull of Argentinian monk parakeets will be undertaken to rid green areas of the city of an invasive species which has become a nuisance, a threat to public health and a menace to native bird species in the Spanish capital.

The monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus), or Quaker parrot, is a native of sub-tropical areas of Argentina and other South American countries and was introduced to Madrid (and many other cities in Europe) as a pet during the last century. Inevitably, though, owners tire of the birds (which can live for between 20 and 30 years in captivity) and a feral population has existed in the city for a couple of decades.

In addition, various parakeets have been allowed to fly free after owning them was made illegal eight years ago. As a result, by 2013 the population of the species, along with others including raccoons, had reached such proportions that for the first time the Town Hall attempted to reduce their numbers.

That campaign, though, met with limited and only short-lived success, and now the situation is that over the last three years the population of monk parakeets has risen from 9,000 to approximately 12,000. Female adults are able to lay around 8 eggs a year, there are ample sources of food in the city and the birds have adapted easily to the climate in Madrid, and as a result the expectation is that if left to look after themselves the parakeets could soon become even more common than already is the case.

Already there are so many parakeets that in the Casa de Campo, the largest park in Madrid, that they are threatening the continued presence of sparrows!

In this context it was announced on Monday that in the autumn of 2020 around 100,000 euros are to be invested in the “humane” cull of the birds, at a cost of between 6 and 8 euros per specimen. Justifying the decision, Town Hall sources explain that the species transmits fatal diseases to other birds, that 197 complaints about the parakeets have already been received from residents this year, and that the nests they build are a danger to members of the public. A normal nest weighs about 50 kilos – the parakeets build them out of sticks – but some can reach 200 kilos, and obviously if one of them were to fall from a height of around 15 metres the results would be extremely serious for any passers-by underneath.

The Town Hall stresses that although the details of the campaign have yet to be finalized every effort will be made to comply with animal welfare laws, and that the plan of action is being drawn up in collaboration with the Spanish Ornithological Society, SEO/Birdlife. It is also recognized that it will be impossible to completely eradicate the species from Madrid: councillor Borja Carabante indicates that a population of up to 600 would be “acceptable”, meaning that the aim is to eliminate at least 19 out of every 20 parakeets as well as piercing eggs to prevent new chicks from hatching.

It should be pointed out that the same problem of feral parakeets also exists to a certain extent in other major cities in Spain including Barcelona, Málaga and Valencia, and that in all cases the expanding population represents a threat to native species.

Images: SEO birdlife

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