Summary:
A ring-necked parakeet is threatening to eat small garden birds in the UK, a study has found.

Full article:
By . Daily Mail Reporter . Britain's small birds are under threat from a flamboyant invader. Ring-necked parakeets, known for their acid green colour, large size and loud squawking, are frightening away small garden birds such as blue tits and blackbirds, causing them to eat less. A study in journal Behavioural Ecology found the Himalayan parakeets are spreading across south-east England and beyond, with a 'significant' impact on the foraging habits of garden birds. A study found ring-necked parakeets, known for their acid green colour, large size and loud squawking, are frightening away small garden birds . Academics at Imperial College London, the Zoological Society of London and the Natural History Museum monitored the feeding of garden birds, finding they ate less in the presence of the dominant, gregarious parakeets – and stayed away if they saw them. It is thought this is the first case of a non-native bird having such an effect. Researcher Hannah Peck said: 'We found they put off other birds from feeding. We don't know what the long-term impact of that will be, but there is a negative effect going on. Parakeets feed from a bird feeder in a domestic back garden in Charshalton Beeches in London . 'It could be that the other birds are being displaced, or it could be they are not getting much food, full stop.' There are estimated to be 50,000 ring-necked parakeets in Britain.