If you’re walking through a London park and hear some loud squawking overhead, chances are it’s a flock of wild parakeets. London is home to tens of thousands of them, and they’ve settled quite comfortably into the city’s vast parks. I’ve noticed a lot of them in a big tree not far from the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens. They’re sociable birds and if you hold out your arm, they will gladly land on it to see if you’re offering them anything to eat.
Where Did They Come From?
These birds are not native to the UK. So where did they come from? Well, as it happens, there are several theories…
Jimi Hendrix
One of the best known and most colorful stories is that Jimi Hendrix started it all. He lived in London in the 1960s and owned a pair of parakeets. One day for some unknown reason, he took them for a walk – carrying their cage down Carnaby Street.
It was a time of love, peace, and freedom and no doubt he wanted his little birdies to experience that freedom too. So, in an act of love, he set them free. Could Jimi Hendrix’s two love birds have started it all?
African Queen
Another, rather romantic, theory is that parakeets were brought over in 1951 as part of a film set. At the time, Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn were in London filming African Queen. Perhaps the birds had been extras on the set to try and replicate the sights and sounds of the African jungle. Then afterwards perhaps they were just left behind… Or maybe they went out for lunch break, saw some of London’s lovely parks and decided to set up house there.
Aviary Damage
Another possibility is that the London birds might have originated with a flock of parakeets that escaped from a damaged aviary. In the 1970s the Sion Park Aviary in west London was damaged when debris from a plane crash broke through the roof.
Bird Flu Scare
In the early 1900s, birds were popular pets in the UK. But then reports began circulating that a disease linked to parrots had killed several people. Many people were afraid their family bird might catch the disease and infect them. So they simply opened the window and set Polly free. Could this have been the beginnings of the London flocks?
These are all interesting theories, and it’s possible that each of these incidents added to the parakeet population. But the first recorded sighting of a parakeet in the wild was in 1855––long before Jimi Hendrix or Katherine Hepburn stepped foot upon England’s shores. And the first large colony was observed in Kingston-upon-Thames in the late 20th century. Since then, the flocks have been growing and expanding their territory. Now they can be found in many of the large parks in and around London.
While their origin remains a mystery, it’s clear that London suits them. And like many immigrants who have come before them, I think they’ve decided to stay.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments section below. And if you want to read more of my curious histories, subscribe to my blog (at the top or bottom of this page).
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