they are beautiful birds, there used to be three of four that visited my garden but i believe they were wiped out by crows unfortunately, bloody things!
I saw one flying over here this week , I was not aware that they had spread to Wales . I am used to seeing them in the London area so recognised the call .
Luckily, you have beautiful non-native parrots such as that ringneck, but over here we have the ugliest and worst non-natives- Indian Mynahs. They steal food, chase other native birds and breed like rabbits!
as a fast-spreading aggressive hole-nester they have a great potential for becoming a major detriment to native hole-nesters in the UK such as tits, woodpeckers and owls. The estimated population in the UK is said to be 4700 pairs according to one report (or up to 50,000 individuals according to others), they cope with cold very well, and are additionally benefited by the proclivity of UK residents for providing artificial feeding sites for their local birds (ie, bird tables). They also are of growing concern for their possible impact on farming, especially for orchardists.
I'm with Chlidonias on this - just because there are no apparent problems, doesn't mean there won't be in the future, especially if they become established.
I believe that the view of the RSPB is that at current population levels they are not causing significant problems, but that they could become a serious problem (in the way Chlidonias outlines) if their population keeps growing. So it's watch this space, really.
