Rose-ringed Parakeets in the City

Every voyage to a distant land is an opportunity to see exotic animals in the wild, as I discovered on my recent trip to Germany. While a trip from Phoenix to Europe is indeed a long trip, you don't expect to find tropical birds in German trees. But in fact the voyage gave me a chance to see a feral population of colorful rose-ringed parakeets in an adopted homeland.

These bright green birds are native to equatorial Africa and the Indian sub-continent, and sometimes go by the name ring-necked parakeet. While they are popular pets for parrot-loving people, I soon discovered on my trip to Zweibrucken, Germany that escaped or released individuals have colonized the same towns and cities as their human collectors.

They have actually also been seen closer to home, in Phoenix, but I've never spotted one. Another released parrot, the rosy-faced lovebird, is more common there. In any case, the parakeets are a colorful and exotic addition to the starlings, pigeons and house sparrows that populate most cities worldwide.