Unusual parrots near Rotorua

[Neil Fitzgerald]

This morning at 0900 I saw three birds fly over Te Puea Road, east of Lake Rotorua. They were certainly parrots, not any of the usuals, and probably exotic escapes. Flying strongly about 50m high I didn't get much to ID them by. My first thought was something like a ring-necked parakeet. The call was a short screech, repeated every few seconds. They had very long tails (maybe twice the length of a rosella relative to body) and short rounded wings.
It would be interesting if anyone else sees and can ID them. Maybe something blown across the ditch....

[Brent Stephenson]

More likely your first guess is right - ring-necked parakeet. I was recently told there are some feral birds here in Havelock North. DoC know about it as far as I can understand and hopefully aim to get rid of them before they spread.

Cheers,

[Eila]

Keith Owen from DoC BOP tells me these are very likely to be Indian ring-necked parakeets that have been released illegally in the area from a local aviary a while ago. This free ranging group of birds were brought to our attention a few months ago by a Te Puia Road resident.
Our Rotorua Lakes Area staff were requested to caught these birds and remove them from the wild before they expand around the region, so they are aware of this and have them in their sights.

You may wish to advise Birding NZ subscribers of this.

Regards
Keith

[Neil Fitzgerald]

Thanks Eila.


Does this mean I can tick ring-necked parakeet???

[sav]

No! Not in New Zealand anyway....

[Brent Stephenson]

Sorry Neil, you'll just have to go to London to tick them...or you could go to India or parts of Africa. BTW the Echo parakeet (Mauritius parakeet), although very closely related, is a much better tick!

[phil hammond]

there was a breeder in the beachlands area [south east of auck] who released ring necked parakeets--some even bred in the wild and i spoke to many locals that had seen them including a guy i worked with who lived in down the road from beachlands and had a couple sitting on his spouting---that was a couple of years ago and DOC attended to the matter--they are gone---you can understand DOC concern---apart from spreading disease if these things were to breed in the wild like they do in UK they might gather in huge flocks as they do in UK [one roost south of london has several thousand birds]---if you were a berry grower and a couple of thousand parakeets arrived in your orchard you wouldn't be having fun

[Neil Fitzgerald]

One flew over the same place this morning. They must be reasonably settled in the area.

[Jan]

This isn't near Rotorua, but it is the same species. Was interested yesterday to see these birds breaking IN to the aviaries at Willowbank wildlife park in Christchurch, to help the Macaws eat their breakfast. Indian Ringnecks are a captive species at this park but quite a few are loose outside the wire and so are a number of Barbary Doves.
Also interesting to see the Crested Pigeons in captivity here. [very close indeed to where the loose ones have been seen on wires in adjoining roads]

[Byrd]

since when does Willowbank have macaws?

I've said it many times before, but Willowbank is very lax with regards to keeping its animals contained, both historically and currently. The Australian crested pigeons 'wild' in the surrounding area did come from here; there is a kea flying loose in the zoo which has been free for at least two years; the same capuchin monkey has escaped twice.... (I could go on with a long list)