This Argentine parrot (Myiopsitta monachus) and Kramer (Psittacula krameri) it is a symbol representing the phenomenon of invasive species, at least in cities.. And although they have always favored the very urban life, both species have spread all over the Iberian Peninsula since 1991, spreading to every corner. In fact, an article published in the magazine recently Diversity and DistributionsLed by CREAF researcher Laura Cardador, shows that cities and highways were the springboards that allowed both parrots to colonize the Peninsula. and permanently established.
And that’s because it’s a fast-expanding species. The first record of the Argentine parrot belongs to 1975 in the city of Barcelona. Already in the early 80s, it was also detected in Madrid and Puerto de la Cruz (in Tenerife). Currently, according to the last SEO/BirdLife count in 2015, The species is currently distributed in at least 15 autonomous communities, 27 provinces and 142 municipalities, and its main breeding centers are Madrid and Barcelona.
Regarding the Kramer parrot, according to the study database, the first record on the Peninsula was in 1970 at Zorita (Cáceres). By the early 1980s it would have also been observed in Portugal in La Laguna (Tenerife), Maspalomas (Gran Canaria), Gijón (Asturias), Málaga, Almería and Santarem. According to the 2015 SEO/BirdLife censuses, the Spanish population is dispersed in at least seven autonomous communities and one autonomous city (including 13 provinces, one autonomous city and 34 municipalities).
This study reinforces an idea that has been in the scientific field for some time: Human habitats play a crucial role in the spread and persistence of invasive species. These habitats include cities as well as others degraded by humans, peripheral areas and infrastructures that connect all these anthropized regions.
Species that love urban habitats
What are the reasons? On the one hand, Kramer and Argentine parrots have expanded thanks to the voluntary or involuntary release of individuals from cages in cities.where they live as pets. However, this will not be the only explanation as these parrots colonized new places on the Peninsula after 2005, when commercialization of this species was already prohibited in Europe.
In this sense, the research team believes that The great link between humanized environments has been another important reason.. Parrots living in cities can move easily from one place to another. tracking human infrastructures (roads, railways…) connecting cities or other environments that people change. With this move, they succeeded in colonizing newly urbanized circles throughout the region.
Finally, the study shows that parrots they seem pre-adapted to living in cities, because in their own environment they already tolerated well. This implies, for example, that they take advantage of the lack of predators in cities to survive and reproduce successfully, develop innovative behaviors to avoid dangers or threats, or draw on a wide variety of sources for nourishment. themselves.
citizen participation
Most of the data used in the study came from citizen science platforms. Citizens share information about the parrots seen in different parts of the Peninsula from 1991 to 2016.. “Citizen science and observations recorded over almost a century in different media, annals and ornithological newsreels, atlases or websites can be integrated into mathematical models that help better understand how biological invasions occur,” Cardador said.
This study helps us understand that parrots have expanded in relation to human habitats. According to Laura Cardador, “the model we developed may be a good first approach for now. helps prioritize management actions as it can identify sensitive areas to receive new colonizationas well as areas where we can expect greater impacts due to interference with both human activities and sensitive species.”
The study was carried out by a team from institutions as diverse as the Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), the University of Seville, Montpellier, the Leibniz Zoo and Wildlife Research Institute in Berlin, the Pirenaico Ecology Institute. (IPE-CSIC), University of Zaragoza, Seville and Pablo de Olavide University, also from Seville.
Reference work: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ddi.13591
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