Ring-necked Parakeet eating Sweet Chestnuts
I was photographing Fallow Deer in Richmond Park, as they foraged under Sweet Chestnut Trees, when I became aware of some movement in the tree in front of me. On closer inspection I was delighted to see this beautifully camouflaged Ring-necked Parakeet (Psittacula krameria) eating Chestnuts.
These birds are a non-migratory species, native to Africa and the Indian Subcontinent, so these British Parakeets are thought to have bred from birds that escaped from captivity. They are now naturalised to the UK with their population mostly concentrated in suburban areas of London and the Home Counties of South-East England.
During my stay in Richmond I’d seen numerous flocks of Parakeets but had not been able to get close enough to get an intimate shot of their behaviour. I watched whilst it skilfully peeled back the prickly outer casing of the Chestnut with its formidable beak, remove chunks of the sweet nut using its tongue and feed itself with its dexterous clawed foot. This was the best of a series of shots showing this feeding behaviour.
These birds are a non-migratory species, native to Africa and the Indian Subcontinent, so these British Parakeets are thought to have bred from birds that escaped from captivity. They are now naturalised to the UK with their population mostly concentrated in suburban areas of London and the Home Counties of South-East England.
During my stay in Richmond I’d seen numerous flocks of Parakeets but had not been able to get close enough to get an intimate shot of their behaviour. I watched whilst it skilfully peeled back the prickly outer casing of the Chestnut with its formidable beak, remove chunks of the sweet nut using its tongue and feed itself with its dexterous clawed foot. This was the best of a series of shots showing this feeding behaviour.
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