A Ring-necked Parakeet ringed in its year of hatching at Bedfont Lakes, Gtr London in November 2007 was found recently dead 10km away in Bushy Park, Gtr London in March 2026, 18 years and 3 months later.
This makes it by far the oldest UK Ring-necked Parakeet recorded by the BTO ringing scheme. The previous record of 8 years was also a bird ringed by RRG.
Ed: Of a UK total of c.3,000 Ring-necked Parakeets ringed since 1980, 680 have been ringed by RRG, 387 of which were at a private garden in Heston, Gtr London. Parakeets can typically live up to 20-30 years in the wild. The low UK ringing longevity reflects the recent establishment of the UK population and the relatively low numbers caught and ringed each year.
