Officials go high tech to track down pest birds

Monday, 23 May 2016

Escaped Indian ringnecked parakeets near Paeroa to be hunted down and removed from the wild.

A group of pest parakeets have over stayed their welcome and plans are afoot to clip their wings.

The hunt is on for a population of about 15 Indian ringneck parakeets roosting near Hikutaia, midway between Paeroa and Thames.

The Ministry of Primary Industries has teamed up with the Department of Conservation and the Waikato Regional Council, going high tech with radio transmitters, to find their location.

MPI response manager Brad Chandler said previous searches and a call for public information proved fruitless.

The high tech approach should yield results, he said.

'Once we know where the birds are gathering in the evening, we can catch them with nets and remove them from the wild,' Chandler said.

The Indian ringneck parakeets, declared an unwanted organism by the MPI in 2015, are native to Africa and India and commonly kept as pets in New Zealand.

The Hikutaia parakeets are suspected of escaping their previous confines before establishing a small population.

While they look attractive, the birds pose a threat to native birds and bats competing for food, nesting places and introducing disease.

They also have an affect on the agricultural sector, feeding on cereal and fruit crops.

Field teams, wearing identification, will set out on Tuesdayto catch a small number of the birds and fit the transmitters.

They may need to ask for permission from land owners to get closer to the birds.

'Once the birds have the tiny transmitters fitted, there will be a small number of vehicles driving slowly in the area with telemetry aerials,' Chandler said.

'As the birds roost at dusk, this activity might continue into the evening.'