There has been a breeding population of Monk Parakeets Myiopsitta monachus in the Belgian capital since 1979. This introduced population is one of the most northerly in the world. In early 2016 we investigated the condition of the population by counting, outside the nesting period, the numbers of birds that returned at dusk to the communal nests. We identified a total of 139 communal nests, comprising 8 separate colonies; one of the colonies being divided among three cores. Simultaneous counts indicated a total of 200-223 individuals. This suggests that the total population is between 200 and 250 individuals. The fact that numbers remain low in Brussels suggests that there is some limiting factor, probably linked to climatic conditions.

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Contact

• Anne Weiserbs
  Département Études Aves – Natagora
  Rue Nanon 98
  5000 Namur
  anne.weiserbs(at)aves.be

  Alain Paquet
  Département Études Aves – Natagora
  alain.paquet(at)natagora.be

Articles published in the same bulletin

• Results of the winter waterbirds censuses in Wallonia and Brussels area (Belgium) in 2012-2013, 2013-2014 and 2014-2015
  Jean-Paul Jacob, Marie-Charlotte Alvarez et les responsables régionaux
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• Breeding birds in Wallonia in 2015
  Jean-Paul Jacob et les contributeurs-espèces