Take our user survey and make your voice heard.
"From around 4 p.m., a large flock of inko, numbering maybe 2,000, converge in the park," a resident of Kawasaki City near the Todoroki Rokuchi, tells Shukan Gendai (Dec 11-18). "They roost in a big gingko tree next to the tennis court and their high-pitched chirps are almost deafening. It's awful."
The inko he's referring to are smaller than omu (parrots) and in English they are sometimes rendered as "rose-ringed parakeets."
The problem of feral parakeets in the skies over Tokyo is not entirely new: It was reported in an Audubon Society newsletter in 2014 -- but more recently flocks of these birds have been getting out of control, the magazine reports.
"Even when viewed from the standpoint of other invasive bird species, a flock of 2,000 is remarkable, and unless measures are taken it's likely they will continue to expand their range," ornithologist Keiichi Hino predicts.
The king of the jungle, so to speak, is still the jungle crow, which is both intelligent and aggressive. But Shukan Gendai feels things may be moving toward a showdown between the two breeds, and the result may also impact on smaller native birds such as sparrows.
While feral parakeets in Tokyo also feature bright lime green plumage, they are not to be confused with pet parakeets kept in cages at homes. For one thing, they're considerably larger, growing to a body length of up to 40cm. They have sharp vision and much larger beaks than the pet variety.
Even adult humans think twice before approaching them
They are particularly numerous in the southwestern wards of Tokyo, including Setagaya, Ota and Meguro wards, but have recently been expanding their ranges to Nerima, Bunkyo and other wards farther afield.
"The kind of places parakeets favor overlaps with that of crows," says Shiro Kohshima, a professor at Kyoto University's Wildlife Research Center,
While crows tend to prefer to pick at rubbish, parakeets like fruits and grains, including growing rice. Similar breeds in India, however, are known to eat meat and fish.
According to the aforementioned Hino, the parakeets, native to India and Sri Lanka, were imported into Japan during the boom in demand for exotic birds during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1969 a container accident resulted in some 100 of the birds, which can live as long as 20 years, escaping. These are believed to have formed the nucleus of the wild flocks over Tokyo's skies today, and they have thrived in the absence of natural enemies such as owls and hawks.
A flock of around 150, which had taken up residence on the campus of the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Meguro Ward, rapidly increased to an estimated 1,500, and their noise and droppings are said to have become a major annoyance.
Despite being an invasive species, the birds are protected by Japan's wildlife protection laws, making killing them a crime. Professor Kohshima, pointed out that the birds, which ravage crops in countries where they originated, have been designated as pests there and may be killed.
"We're not aware of any reports of serious damage, but when and if it comes to that, Japan should go the same route," he says.
While visiting the campus of Tokyo Institute of Technology, Kohshima related his experience of the "shocking" sight of a crows attacking and eating parakeets.
"On the roofs of the school buildings I could see the bones and feathers of parakeets that have been picked clean by the crows," he said. "But the parakeets are fighting back. I've seen several dozen of them gang up on an approaching crow," Kohshima says.
According to Hino, some parakeets emulate hawks in that they swoop down on their targets from above, diving at speeds reaching up to 70 km/hour.
© Japan Today
18 Comments
Login to comment
Desert Tortoise
Alfred Hitchcock rubs his hands together and smiles ..............
JeffLee
I occasionally see them around my neighborhood. They look amazing and pose no annoyance to me.
GBR48
We have a similar population in London. They are very popular. We will need different species as climate change increases, and you might want to welcome these.
https://londonist.com/london/great-outdoors/london-s-parakeets-everything-you-need-to-know
kaimycahl
Rose-ringed Parakeets make excellent pets, provided they are given daily attention and good care. The Rose-ringed Parakeet is considered one of the best talking parakeets and can learn a vocabulary of up to 250 words.
kaimycahl
I had a group of them that took up residence near my home but the Perrigrin falcons took care of that colony. I saw some of the best in air bird fights ever.
Desert Tortoise
Birds that are pests on one continent subject to control (meaning killing them) are often highly desirable and expensive pets in another continent.
Danielsan
When nature is out of balance, it is humanities God-given right to exercise dominion over pertinent species by their swift eradication.
Easily enough done with annoying avian, simply distribute strychnine enhanced birdseeds, then clean up the carcasses.
ClippetyClop
Good idea! It's fortunate that only invasive species eat birdseed.
Pukey2
Whenever there is an imbalance in the ecological environment, you can bet man is usually the cause.
Shipwrecker
Crows are definitely the king of the castle here and an absolute menace if you grow fruit and vegetables. They'll swoop in, peck a few different fruits (spoiling them all), pick up one and fly off, take one bite, and then drop the remainder onto the street. Really wasteful.
Harry_Gatto
I used to live near Senzoku Ike and there were lots of them around; TIT, Senzoku Ike, Ebara Byoin, in the trees in my garden. Pretty but noisy.
Aly Rustom
start hunting and trapping them and COOKING them. Crow is an amazing source of protein
I Ate Crow | MeatEater Cook (themeateater.com)
and is eaten a lot in Lithuania.
More Lithuanians Are Eating Crow (ourmidland.com)
Harry_Gatto
Eating crow
Eating crow is a colloquial idiom, used in some English-speaking countries, that means humiliation by admitting having been proven wrong after taking a strong position. The crow is a carrion-eater that is presumably repulsive to eat in the same way that being proven wrong might be emotionally hard to swallow.
Aly Rustom
Crows are edible. You can eat them and they won’t make you sick. They taste similar to a goose, duck, or other dark meat bird. If they are prepared well, they will taste good, if not, they won’t taste that great. Some people claim they can’t be eaten because of their tendency to eat almost anything but that’s just not true.
Many people believe that crows should not be eaten because they eat carrion and trash. I’ll admit that it’s a little unappealing, and crow isn’t going to be high on my list of things to eat every day, but they’re okay to eat just like any other bird.
A lot of birds are pretty dirty, and crows aren’t really any different. It doesn’t matter if they eat trash or roadkill.
There was actually a time period around the 1930s that crow was a growing food craze across America. There are still restaurants in areas of the world that still serve crow occasionally as a special.
Another common misconception about crows is that they taste like carrion because they sometimes eat other dead animals. This is where the term “eating crow” comes from. Swallowing your pride can be difficult just like (it was thought) eating a crow would be difficult.
Crows are primarily dark meat, like most other birds. They’re described as having a gamey taste that’s actually pretty decent.
If they’re prepared correctly, then they come out tasting like a goose or a duck. If they’re not cooked well, the meat can seem grainy and tough.
Can You Eat Crow? (Is It Safe, Is It Legal, and How To Prepare It) (readylifestyle.com)