Parakeets were spotted in the orchard for the first time

Colorful parakeets have been spotted in a Cambridgeshire orchard, believed to be for the first time.

The exotic birds have created a new home for themselves in Coton.

Anna Gazeley, whose family runs Coton Orchard, which was founded in 1922, said it was “the first time we’ve seen it”. [the birds] at Cambridge”.

The green ring-necked parakeets, or Psittacula krameri, are not native to this country but are, according to the local Wildlife Trust, the only naturalized parrot in the UK and the most northerly breeding parrot in the world.

The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire said the birds initially escaped their owners or zoos and settled in the UK.

Colonies have existed for decades in London, for example in Richmond Park, and in the southeast of England.

The parakeets originally come from Africa and South Asia and were kept as pets in Great Britain.

They escaped into the wild and naturalized with the help of warmer winters, the foundation said.

They nest in tree holes in gardens and parks and are often found in loud, breeding flocks of hundreds. They eat nuts, seeds, berries and fruits.

The birds have been spotted in various locations including Peterborough and even northern Scotland.

However, it may be a first for the Cambridge region.

Bridget Sutton, from the Coton Loves Pollinators community project, said she heard the parakeets before she saw them, but when she saw it “she couldn’t quite believe my eyes”.

“I thought, no, they don’t belong here. I was a little surprised to hear a screech and thought, wait a minute, that sounds like a parrot,” she said.

Ms Gazeley said: “It was surreal – a bit like being in a Disney episode, seeing this very exotic bird on a sunflower.”

“It’s got bright green plumage, this pink ring around its neck and a hint of blue on its back – it’s a really beautiful bird.”

It is not known how the parakeets came to establish their wild colonies, but according to the Natural History Museum, reports of them have been appearing in our country since the late 19th century.

Since the 1990s, the birds have initially settled in the capital and southeast England and then moved further afield.

According to the museum, “urban myths” about how they populated parts of the United Kingdom include the birds that escaped from the set of the 1951 film “The African Queen,” filmed in west London, and the fact that musician Jimi Hendrix released a couple on Carnaby Street, in the center of the capital.

However, they said it was more likely that intentional releases led to the colonies we have now.

The museum added: “In the early 1930s and again in the 1950s, ‘parrot fever’ made headlines… with cases of bird owners contracting psittacosis – a respiratory disease that can lead to pneumonia and be transmitted from birds to humans .”

“The Ministry of Health has banned the importation of birds for 20 years and scientists suspect that pets were released during this time by fearful owners or shady pet dealers.”

Ms Gazeley said: “The parakeets are very adaptable and have clearly found a home in the UK.”

Asked about the possibility of a “parakeet invasion” in the rest of Cambridgeshire, she said: “I’m not worried – as far as Coton Orchard stands there’s plenty of fruit and plenty to share.”

“I don’t think they’re going to displace any of our native birds.”

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