Parakeets on a bird feeder in a back garden in south London. It is feared they could push out native species of birds.

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The government has confirmed wild parakeets living in Britain are to be culled before they can breed and become a nuisance, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Monk parakeets are the latest invasive species to colonize the country after being released from captivity in the 1990s.

But the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has called on the government to re-home the birds rather than shoot them.

"They have the potential to expand rapidly and could pose a threat to agriculture and public safety because of the nests causing structural problems to the electricity supply," a spokesman for the RSPB said. "But we do not believe that they should be shot."

（点击《每日电讯报》查看原文）

英下令射杀长尾鹦鹉

       据英国《每日电讯报》报道，在野生长尾鹦鹉繁殖并成为有害物种前，英国政府已经开始通过射杀来控制它们的数量增长。

       这种名为“和尚鹦鹉”的鸟类自20世纪90年代开始被放养后，大量侵入英国，成为英国最新的外来入侵物种。

       然而英国皇家鸟类保护协会发言人称，政府与其射杀他们不如让它们“重返家园”。

       虽然长尾鹦鹉存在迅速繁殖的可能，并对农业和公众安全带来威胁，它的鸟巢也会引发供电问题，但这些还是不足以成为射杀它们的理由。

(China.org.cn April 27, 2011)