Mediterranean versus Atlantic monk parakeets Myiopsitta monachus: towards differentiated management at the European scale

Abstract

BACKGROUND The monk parakeet Myiopsitta monachus (Boddaert), native to South America, is an invasive species in several European countries, causing crop damage and potential negative impacts on wildlife. Only Spain and Great Britain have regulations to control monk parakeets, thus fast growth and spread of populations are likely to occur on a wide scale. The aims of this research are to update information on the distribution and population size of monk parakeets in Europe, assess whether differences in population growth or spread rate exist between populations, and provide recommendations to decision‐makers. RESULTS Our study estimates that there are 23 758 monk parakeets in the wild, across 179 municipalities in eight European Union (EU) countries; 84% of these municipalities hold between 1 and 100 monk parakeets. All countries with a representative historical record are experiencing exponential growth of monk parakeets. Mediterranean countries are experiencing higher exponential growth, spread rate and faster colonization of new municipalities than Atlantic countries. CONCLUSIONS We recommend that EU Mediterranean countries consider declaration of the monk parakeet as invasive alien species of regional concern, and develop coordinated efforts to monitor and manage the species, taking advantage of the low population sizes in most municipalities. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry

Assessing the ecological and societal impacts of alien parrots in Europe using a transparent and inclusive evidence-mapping scheme

“…The MP is found in 179 municipalities across Europe, with its stronghold in Madrid and Barcelona. The current population of 23,000 individuals originates from a few tens of individuals recorded breeding in the mid-1970s (Strubbe and Matthysen 2009;Postigo et al 2019). There have been a number of studies which have assessed alien parrot impacts alongside other species (e.g.…”

“…RNP and MP are more widespread and populations may span national borders (e.g. across the lowlands of northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany or across parts of the Mediterranean seaboard; Pârâu et al 2016;Postigo et al 2019). Effective management of these species will likely benefit from designating them as "invasive species of local and regional concern", as per Articles 11 and 12 of the EU regulation on IAS.…”

Do Invasive Mosquito and Bird Species Alter Avian Malaria Parasite Transmission?

“…In particular, Monk parakeets Myiopsitta monachus are considered one of the most effective parrot species colonizing new territories [19]. In addition to their native range in South America, this species is currently present in areas from North America and Europe, including islands in the Atlantic Ocean (e.g., Canary Islands) [20,21]. The Monk parakeet is listed as an invasive species according to both Spanish and European regulations [22] and its abundance is quickly increasing [21,23].…”

“…In addition to their native range in South America, this species is currently present in areas from North America and Europe, including islands in the Atlantic Ocean (e.g., Canary Islands) [20,21]. The Monk parakeet is listed as an invasive species according to both Spanish and European regulations [22] and its abundance is quickly increasing [21,23]. In the invaded areas, Monk parakeets produce economic costs due to the damage to human infrastructures and agriculture [24,25].…”

“…Here, we assessed the prevalence of the avian malaria parasite Plasmodium and the related Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon in Monk parakeets from the city of Barcelona, where the presence of the species was first described in the 1970s [28], and its abundance has dramatically increased during the last decades [21,29]. In addition, we screened the blood meal sources of mosquitoes and identified the Plasmodium parasites potentially transmitted by both native and invasive mosquitoes in the area [30,31].…”