Ring-necked parakeets, Canada and Egyptian geese now officially pests

Changes to wildlife protection announced by Natural England
September 2009. Natural England has announced the outcome of its public consultation on ‘General Licences' for wildlife.

Some 40 years after it first bred in the wild in London, the ring-necked parakeet, as well as Canada geese and Egyptian geese, joined the list of birds that can be legally shot without special permission.

Ring-necked parakeets are now very common across parts of South London. Photo copyright Wildlife Extra.

The Ring-necked parakeet, a native of India & the Himalayas, is commonly seen across south and west London and Surrey, and now numbers tens of thousands of birds.  Growing fears that it may damage native wildlife and crops have led Natural England, the Government's wildlife watchdog, to add the bird to the "general licence" of species which can be culled without individual permission, if damage is being done.

Among the changes announced, Natural England confirmed that:

• Several non-native bird species that breed in the wild - including monk parakeets, ring-necked parakeets, Canada geese and Egyptian geese - will be added to licences so their numbers can be controlled
• Two native gull species - the herring gull and the greater black-backed gull - will be removed from some licences due to conservation concerns about their population numbers

Announcing the decisions, Natural England Chief Executive Helen Phillips, said: "The changes we will be making in the New Year reflect our commitment to simplify the regulation of licensed activities while ensuring that our native wildlife is properly protected. Removing certain bird species from licences in order to address concerns about their declining numbers, and adding emerging problem species are absolutely vital to this goal."