Vol. 76 (3) 2024

ARTICLES

Status of Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri (Scopoli, 1769) (Psittaciformes: Psittaculidae) in Romania

Florinel-Dănuț Drăgan1,2* & Dumitru Murariu3

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1*Romanian Ornithological Society, BirdLife/Romania, Bucharest, Romania; dani.dragan@sor.ro
2*University of Bucharest, Faculty of Biology, Splaiul Independenței 91–95, Bucharest, 050095, Romania; florinel.danut.dragan@drd.unibuc.ro
3Department of Ecology, Taxonomy and Environment Protection, Institute for Biology, Romanian Academy of Sciences, Bucharest, Romania; dmurariu@antipa.ro

https://doi.org/10.71424/azb76.3.002747

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Abstract
In Romania, rose-ringed parakeets Psittacula krameri (Scopoli, 1769) came from the pet trade and captivity (birds were either deliberately released or they escaped). Most observations are in the urban parks of Bucharest or near them but individuals have also been reported in counties like Bihor, Brașov, Brăila, Călărași, Cluj, Dolj, Galați, Harghita, Iași, Ilfov, Mureș, Prahova and Timiș. The first individuals were seen in 2009 in Tineretului Park, Bucharest. Breeding was confirmed in May 2016 when two adults were reported feeding two or maybe three juveniles. Rose-ringed parakeet numbers fluctuate in Bucharest from 2010 to 2023, with the highest number being recorded in 2013, when 19 individuals were observed. In 2023, the highest number of gathered birds was four individuals and other four birds being present in other parts of the city, summing eight birds. It is currently unknown how many individuals come from captivity and how many from successful breeding in the wild. Additional surveys are required to determine the precise size of the free-ranging population and to oversee their integration into the avian fauna of Romania.

Key words
Psittacula krameri, invasive species, bird distribution, urban birds, bird adaptations, monitoring

How to Cite
Drăgan F.-D. & Murariu D. 2024. Status of Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri (Scopoli, 1769) (Psittaciformes: Psittaculidae) in Romania. Acta zoologica bulgarica 76 (3) 431-436.

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