New plans to curb invasive parrot species in Seville

New figures have emerged from a recent visit to the city by biologists from the Doñana Biological Station on the number of invasive parrot species currently residing in the city.

According to the now published 2019 census, there are 5,000 individual birds made up of two different, invasive species, the Kramer Parrot and the Argentinean Parrot.

These figures represent an all-time high in the region and city councils plan to introduce measures to reduce the population.

The main concern for the ever-growing numbers is the threat to local, endangered species, specifically the Lesser Kestrel and the Giant Bat.

Scientists have seen the population of the hawk reduce from 40 pairs to just 23 in the past 6 years and the bats’ population reduced from occupying 70 trees to now just 7. Both have seen a reduction directly contributed to the parrots, with them both competing for food and nesting spaces.

The City Council of Seville this September will introduce the first measures to reduce the population. The first phase will include the placement of traps to capture the birds. At the same time, they will erect nesting boxes for the Kestrels and bats to encourage safe resting places.

The second phase will be introduced the following spring where the eggs of the new crop of parrots will be removed. Public awareness of the problem will also be spread over the city during the coming months.

Animal activist groups have understood the plight of the parrots, but have condemned the method of shooting the birds. Although successful as was shown in Zaragoza last year, the City Council has listened and will rely on humane methods of capture, despite the reservations from the Doñana Biological Station.

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Written by

James Warren

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