Feathered pest – Fuengirola takes action

The green Argentine parrot (Myiopsitta monachus), also colloquially known as a ‘Chatterbox’, is an invasive species everyone has become familiar with in local neighbourhoods and parks in recent years.

Native to South America, and with no natural predators in urban European air, the species has proliferated in recent years to the level of a plague, and as a consequence, many native species of birds have suffered with dwindling natural food supplies due to the bigger green squawking birds taking it all.

Due to their size, the parrots’ nests have caused a hygiene problem and are at greater risk of falling from trees and causing an accident.

Fuengirola council has now decided to take action and is taking action to control the numbers of this green menace. The idea is to capture them alive and destroy them elsewhere.

The council already had a contract with one such company that offers this service; however, the problem remains, and that contract is about to expire, so they are now looking at a more definitive and extensive service now that numbers of the parrot species are becoming a concern, and complaints from residents are increasing.

The council has assured residents it will take further measures within the boundaries of law and that it will respond to the complaints it receives. As well, they stress, unlike other municipalities, they will not be shooting the birds from the trees.