Parakeeting of London, The

The skies of London have been taken over by flocks of bright-green parakeets – and nobody knows how they got here

Over the last 15 years or so, London has seen the unlikely spread of feral ring-necked parakeets: a species of small parrot whose native range extends across South Asia and Central Africa. First sighted in Dulwich in the 1890s, and for a long time a quirky feature of Kingston-upon-Thames, the flocks have now colonised green spaces the length and breadth of the capital, from Croydon to Crouch End.

As extraordinary as it seems, these bright birds are starting to become one of the most commonly seen and heard -creatures in the city. And here’s the even more extraordinary thing: no one knows how they got here. Theories abound. Did Jimi Hendrix release a breeding pair on Carnaby Street in 1968? Did they escape from the set of the film The

African Queen' in 1951? Did they make their bid for freedom during the Great Storm of 1987?

In this book, writer Nick Hunt and photographer Tim Mitchell track the parakeets from park to cemetery to riverbank, along the way meeting Londoners from all walks of life who share their thoughts, opinions and opinions on these incongruous avian invaders.

Paperback, 112 pages, with 28 black & white photographs

The authors

Nick Hunt
Nick Hunt is the author of several acclaimed books, including Where the Wild Winds Are, Walking the Woods and the Water and, most recently, Outlandish: Walking Europe’s Unlikely Landscapes, all of which combine travel writing, nature writing and history. He also writes fiction and works as an editor for the Dark Mountain Project.

Tim Mitchell
Tim Mitchell is a published and exhibited artist, photographer, organic-food grower and teacher. In the past he’s also been a musician, mosaicist, art technician, pyro technician, park keeper and bookie.