Town Hall bosses in Fuengirola have ordered a cull of the green monk parakeets from parks and green spaces. It is thought they were initially brought over as pets from Argentina - but after one, or two, escaped, the brightly-coloured green monk parakeets have become a problem for those living on the Costa del Sol. The species of parrot was first spotted in the wild in Barcelona and Murcia in the late 1970s, before its population quickly spread across the region, including in popular holiday resorts such as Malaga and Marbella.
The birds, also known for their loud shrieks, are also causing hygiene and health issues, say community leaders, who receive nuisance complaints from residents over the birds’ behaviour. Now Town Hall bosses in the city of Fuengirola, 25 miles along the coast from Malaga, are increasing efforts to control the bird population after putting out a two-year tender to hire a team to catch, and destroy, the birds.
The £66,000 contract focuses on parks and green spaces in the city where there is a “risk due to the danger of falling nests and branches of the trees that house them,” a document by the local authority said. Companies will need to show how they will capture the birds, without aggressive methods such as the use of guns, and then “incinerate” them. The species, also known as the quaker parrot, originate from South America’s subtropical climates, including Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia, where they are considered a pest by farmers and often hunted,.
