The great mystery of the United Kingdom's ring-necked parakeet population has been solved ... sort of.
Contrary to urban legend, the invasive parrot species, which is native to Africa but now thrives across five continents, did not begin its takeover of the British Isles when music legend Jimi Hendrix purportedly released a breeding pair (named Adam and Eve) on Carnaby Street in London in 1968.
Nor can we blame the wrap party that followed the filming of "The African Queen" in 1951 or the crash of a plane into an aviary in the 1970s, although these events have long been cited as alleged reasons for the birds' British presence.
No, according to a geographic profiling study undertaken at Queen Mary University of London, the truth is simpler and much less interesting. The 34 nations that now provide a home for the non-native birds can thank regular people and their intentional and accidental releases of the parakeets, which can be beautiful pets. After all, by 1961, British residents alone kept 11 million birds of all species as pets, outnumbering cats and dogs.
The researchers, who used a method of forensic inquiry based on serial crime profiling to trace the growth of the parakeet population, said many people probably released their birds after sensationalized reports of outbreaks of fatal "parrot fever" in the 1930s and 1950s.
"It is easy to imagine (these) headlines leading to a swift release of pets," said Sarah Elizabeth Cox, a postgraduate history student at Goldsmiths, University of London. "If you were told you were at risk being near one, it would be much easier to let it out the window than to destroy it."
A peek into parakeets:
- There are 115 species of parakeet, belonging to 30 different genera.
- While the average lifespan of a parakeet is between six and 10 years, those kept healthy in captivity can live 15 years or more.
- Budgerigars or "budgies," which are known simply as parakeets in American English, are now found all over the world. They originated in Australia, where they live in large flocks.