Flocks of Quaker parrots, also known as monk parakeets, have added a colorful—and noisy—touch to Madrid and several other Spanish cities, and while some residents are charmed by the colorful invaders, others want them gone.
The colorful colonies are believed to be descended from escaped or released pets. Their native habitat is South America.
They've been proliferating in Spain for several years. Aside from concerns over noise, they raise serious environmental issues. For one thing, they are social birds, living in communal nests that may weigh up to 50 kilos (about 110 pounds) and which can damage trees and electric lines. The damage comes not only from the weight but from stripping trees of their bark for nest material.
For another, they compete with native birds for food and territory. They are aggressive toward other species, and have proven very adaptable to new environments. Colonies also exist in New York, especially Brooklyn, and Rome, London, and Paris have colonies of other parakeet varieties.
Madrid authorities, dealing with a population of more than 5000 birds, are working to identify the colony nests, but so far have no plan for dealing with them. The potential of conflict with animal rights groups, bird lovers and others makes the solution problematic.
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