By Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE (Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus)) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Monk Parakeet Myiopsitta monachus
Status.
Category E*
Native Range
South America. Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.
British Occurrence
NBN atlas has 292 records as at end 2024. Map Here.
In 2005 three pairs bred at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire and colonies or breeding attempts had been reported previously in Cheshire & Wirral, Devon, Surrey and Wiltshire.
There is a breeding population of some twenty - thirty breeding pairs in London, mainly on the Isle of Dogs. Because of a risk-assessment that showed threats to economic interests and biodiversity, an eradication programme was commenced in 2011. The species is establishing itself in the wild in many countries with London and Belgium being the most northerly colonies. In Spain, there are now some 20,000 birds with Madrid and Barcelona each having a population of 6-7,000 individuals.
Monk Parakeet on the NNSS site
