Roma, ecco perché i pappagalli hanno conquistato la Città Eterna

A stroll through the Orange Garden, in the heart of Rome, means spotting some parrots typical of tropical countries. Yet, the ring-necked parakeet, native to Africa and Asia, and the monk parakeet, native to South America, have populated the Eternal City for at least 30 years. According to some residents of the city, in the 1990s, some birds seized at Rome-Fiumicino "Leonardo da Vinci" International Airport were released into the parks, where they successfully colonized the area. Another story, however, tells that many Roman citizens purchased dozens of parakeets after the success of a famous film about the friendship between a stuttering little girl and a bird. The parrots, however, escaped from their cages and managed to breed continuously. But is this really the truth? "Certainly, neither species arrived on their own," Francesca Manzia, Head of the Wildlife Recovery Center of the Italian Bird Protection League (LIPU) in Rome, told Teleambiente. "Colonization never happens by simply leaving a single pair; on the contrary, it takes a huge number of them. Some can't immediately understand what to eat or what the dangers are, and so they succumb, while others, more astute, manage to adapt to the new environment and colonize it." In our special feature, we reveal the true story of Rome's parrots, the favorite neighborhoods of the ring-necked parakeet and the monk parakeet, and what to do if we find injured green birds. Report by Fausto Piu #animals #parrots #rome