Feral/escapes now breeding birds (1 Viewer)

Some one gave me a newspaper cutting from 2002 about new parakeet species (Monk & Alexandrine I think) colonising in London & the SE. Does anyone know of any other feral/escaped species which have now started to breed in the UK, even if they are in very tiny numbers or very localised pockets?

I've heard people mention Zebra Finch & Guineafowls as being possibles on this list.

There is a lot of species doing this, Ruddy Ducks, Little Owls, Pheasants, Red-legged Partridges, Canada Gooses, Mandarins and many Geese are all British Birds because they have been introduced, some of them you may be surpised about. By the way the Parakeet is most likely Ring-necked Parakeet.

Jake Apps said:

There is a lot of species doing this, Ruddy Ducks, Little Owls, Pheasants, Red-legged Partridges, Canada Gooses, Mandarins and many Geese are all British Birds because they have been introduced, some of them you may be surpised about. By the way the Parakeet is most likely Ring-necked Parakeet.

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Also, Budgies in the Isles of Scilly.

Steve

According to the BOU, the following species have established self-sustaining feral/introduced populations.

· Mute Swan Cygnus olor AC
· Greylag Goose Anser anser AC
· Canada Goose Branta canadensis AC
· Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca C
· Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata C
· Gadwall Anas strepera AC
· Mallard Anas platyrhynchos AC
· Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis C
· Western Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus BC
· Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa C
· Grey Partridge Perdix perdix AC
· Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus C
· Golden Pheasant Chrysolophus pictus C
· Lady Amherst's Pheasant Chrysolophus amherstiae C
· Red Kite Milvus milvus AC
· White-tailed Eagle* Haliaeetus albicilla AC
· Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis AC
· Rock Pigeon Columba livia AC
· Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri C
· Little Owl Athene noctua C

While the following species have been recorded as nesting in the wild either ferally/as a result of introductions (no doubt there are some other species also)

· Black Swan Cygnus atratus (Australia, New Zealand) E*
· Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus (N Europe, N Asia; winters C Europe, C Asia, China) AE*
· Swan Goose Anser cygnoides (NC Asia, Siberia; winters China) E*
· Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus (Greenland, Iceland, Svalbard) AE*
· Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons (Holarctic) AE*
· Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus (N Eurasia) AE*
· Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus (C Asia) E*
· Snow Goose Anser caerulescens (N America & Greenland) AE*
· Ross’s Goose Anser rossii (C Canada, winters S USA) E*
· Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis (E Greenland, Svalbard, Novaya Zemlya) AE*
· Magellan/Upland Goose Chloephaga picta (S America) E*
· Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea (N Africa, S Eurasia) BE*
· Muscovy Duck Cairina moschata (C & S America) E*
· Wood Duck Aix sponsa (N America) E*
· Wigeon Anas penelope (Eurasia) AE*
· Cinnamon Teal Anas cyanoptera (Americas) E*
· Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina (SW Eurasia) AE*
· Pochard Aythya ferina (Eurasia) AE*
· Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianus (N & C America) E*
· Rock Partridge Alectoris graeca (SE Europe) E*
· Chukar Alectoris chukar (C & E Eurasia) E*
· Silver Pheasant Lophura nycthemera (SE Asia) E*
· Reeves’s Pheasant Syrmaticus reevesii (China) E*
· Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio (S Europe, Africa, Asia) E*
· Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax (Eurasia, Africa, Americas) AE*
· Osprey Pandion haliaetus (cosmopolitan) AE*
· Common Buzzard Buteo buteo (Eurasia) AE*
· Budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus (Australia) E*
· Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria (India, SE Asia) E*
· Blue-crowned Parakeet Aratinga acuticaudata (S America) E*
· Monk Parakeet Myiopsitta monachus (S America) E*
· Barn Owl Tyto alba (cosmopolitan) AE*
· Eurasian Eagle Owl Bubo bubo (Palaearctic) E*

If you follow BOU 'rules', it is only permitted to 'tick' feral birds from the first list.
James

Goshawk's an interesting one.................

Barn Owl? Red Kite? So they aren't naturally occuring UK species?

tp20uk said:

Barn Owl? Red Kite? So they aren't naturally occuring UK species?

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Some of them are, but there's also releases of both - that's why they are both A (wild) and C (feral)

kellytalent said:

Some one gave me a newspaper cutting from 2002 about new parakeet species (Monk & Alexandrine I think) colonising in London & the SE. Does anyone know of any other feral/escaped species which have now started to breed in the UK, even if they are in very tiny numbers or very localised pockets?

I've heard people mention Zebra Finch & Guineafowls as being possibles on this list.

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Hi Kelly,

An earlier discussion on this forum listed 4 breeding parakeets:
http://birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=10511

And this is from the bbc more recently:
http://newswww.bbc.net.uk/1/low/education/3869815.stm

Paul

Mute swan? That's one I never realised was introduced! Would have thought the wild population would be big enough. And greylags/mallard/grey partridge & pheasant!

There's quite a good population of released Red-legged Partridge around here which have been breeding quite successfully in the past few years.

GILL

Most of Britain's Mute Swans are thought to derive from captive stock - it isn't known for sure though, as it is based on introductions hundreds of years ago (they used to be raised for the table). Some suggest that the only truly wild breeding Mutes are a handful in the Outer Hebrides (much like Greylags), others even suggest there's no genuinely native Mutes at all. But that all seems improbable to me.

Red-legged Free-range Chickens, I'm not convinced that enough are breeding successfully to maintain the numbers without further introductions (that's the official BOU definition) in this part of the country - gamekeepers I've spoken to reckon they die out and disappear in 3-4 years when no further releases are made. I suspect if we were honest, we shouldn't be ticking them on our Northumbs lists, but well, everyone does.

Oh no....don't take my tick away LOL I've got a really feeble Life List as it is!!! Can't afford to lose any more....after convincing myself the other week that the Pale-bellied Brent was actually the Tundra Bean (dont ask!)....don't worry though, after a chat on BF with somebody in the NE (can't remember who - may have been you LOL) I admitted to myself that there was NO WAY it was a Tundra LOL
The Red-legs are a funny little addition to the birdlife around here....always seem to be charging around like demented chickens or marching along the path past our friend's cottage! I like them...call them 'Barmy Partridges' LOL

GILL

always seem to be charging around like demented chickens

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That's why I call them free-range chickens

James Lowther said:

According to the BOU, the following species have established self-sustaining feral/introduced populations.

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The Non Native birds breeding in the Uk in 2002 report also lists

Common Peafowl Pavo cristatus
Helmeted Guineafowl Numidia meleagris
Green Pheasant Phasianus versicolor
Rosy-faced Lovebird Agapornis roseicollis
Red-winged Laughing Thrush Garrulax formosa

Even more surprising there's supposed to be a population of Red-billed Leiothrix in southern France. Also feral flamingoes and Greater rheas in Germany and Common Waxbills and Red-billed Avadavats in Spain and Portugal.

David

waxwing in spain how wierd

and i am not sure about breeding but people might like to contribute to feral birds that they have seen i will start it off and you can pm me and i will update it here.


Seen

1. Barbary Partridge
2. Helmeted Guineafowl


Breeding + Seen

Black Swan Cygnus atratus (Australia, New Zealand) E*
· Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus (N Europe, N Asia; winters C Europe, C Asia, China) AE*
· Swan Goose Anser cygnoides (NC Asia, Siberia; winters China) E*
· Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus (Greenland, Iceland, Svalbard) AE*
· Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons (Holarctic) AE*
· Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus (N Eurasia) AE*
· Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus (C Asia) E*
· Snow Goose Anser caerulescens (N America & Greenland) AE*
· Ross’s Goose Anser rossii (C Canada, winters S USA) E*
· Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis (E Greenland, Svalbard, Novaya Zemlya) AE*
· Magellan/Upland Goose Chloephaga picta (S America) E*
· Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea (N Africa, S Eurasia) BE*
· Muscovy Duck Cairina moschata (C & S America) E*
· Wood Duck Aix sponsa (N America) E*
· Wigeon Anas penelope (Eurasia) AE*
· Cinnamon Teal Anas cyanoptera (Americas) E*
· Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina (SW Eurasia) AE*
· Pochard Aythya ferina (Eurasia) AE*
· Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianus (N & C America) E*
· Rock Partridge Alectoris graeca (SE Europe) E*
· Chukar Alectoris chukar (C & E Eurasia) E*
· Silver Pheasant Lophura nycthemera (SE Asia) E*
· Reeves’s Pheasant Syrmaticus reevesii (China) E*
· Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio (S Europe, Africa, Asia) E*
· Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax (Eurasia, Africa, Americas) AE*
· Osprey Pandion haliaetus (cosmopolitan) AE*
· Common Buzzard Buteo buteo (Eurasia) AE*
· Budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus (Australia) E*
· Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria (India, SE Asia) E*
· Blue-crowned Parakeet Aratinga acuticaudata (S America) E*
· Monk Parakeet Myiopsitta monachus (S America) E*
· Barn Owl Tyto alba (cosmopolitan) AE*
· Eurasian Eagle Owl Bubo bubo (Palaearctic) E*
Common Peafowl Pavo cristatus
Helmeted Guineafowl Numidia meleagris
Green Pheasant Phasianus versicolor
Rosy-faced Lovebird Agapornis roseicollis
Red-winged Laughing Thrush Garrulax formosa

Rosy-faced Lovebirds? Wouldn't have thought they would survive through a winter...though I suppose they'd easily get seed from gardens where folk feed the birds!

GILL

Hi Timmy,

timmyjones said:

waxwing in spain how wierd

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Waxbill not Waxwing - an African finch-like bird

wops . . . .. . .