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Improved surveillance for early detection of a potential invasive species: the alien Rose-ringed parakeet Psittacula krameri in Australia

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Abstract

The Rose-ringed parakeet Psittacula krameri is the most widely introduced parrot in the world, and is an important agricultural pest and competitor with native wildlife. In Australia, it is classified as an ‘extreme threat’, yet captive individuals frequently escape into the wild. The distribution and frequency of incursions are currently unknown, as are the potential impacts of the species in Australia. This lack of critical ecological information greatly limits effective biosecurity surveillance and decision-making efforts. We compiled a unique dataset, which combined passive surveillance sources from government and online resources, for all available information on parakeet detections at-large in Australia. We investigated whether geographic variables successfully predicted parakeet incursions, and used species distribution models to assess the potential distribution and economic impacts on agricultural assets. We recorded 864 incursions for the period 1999–2013; mostly escaped birds reported to missing animal websites. Escapes were reported most frequently within, or around, large cities. Incursions were best predicted by factors related to human presence and activity, such as global human footprint and intensive land uses. We recommend surveillance of high (predicted) establishment areas adjacent to cities where a feral parakeet population could most affect horticultural production. Novel passive surveillance datasets combined with species distribution models can be used to identify the regions where potential invasive species are most likely to establish. Subsequently, active surveillance can be targeted to the areas of highest predicted potential risk. We recommend an integrated approach that includes outreach programs involving local communities, as well as traditional biosecurity surveillance, for detecting new incursions.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank Birdlife Australia and the authors and contributors of the Atlas of Australian Birds, the Atlas of Living Australia, the Birding-Aus forum and the Australian Rescue and Rehoming Resource, for providing the data on parakeet incursions in Australia. The staff of the Department of Agriculture and Food of Western Australia (Susan Campbell, Win Kirkpatrick, Malcolm Kennedy, Glenn Coupar, Brett Scourse and Terry Paterson) assisted in collecting data on parakeet reports and shared with us their invaluable knowledge on managing bird incursions. Peter Bird, Tamara van Polanen Petel, Michelle Christie and David Forsyth reviewed earlier drafts. Talia Wittmann and Antonia Dalziel provided advice on the artwork. We thank the editor and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments, which helped us to improve the manuscript greatly. The project was funded by the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) and the Australian Research Council (ARC). M.V. was funded by the Invasive Animals CRC (Project No. 1.L.4). P.C. was an ARC Future Fellow (FT0914420) and this work was supported by the ARC Discovery Grant (DP140102319).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences and Centre for Conservation Science and Technology, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia

    Miquel Vall-llosera & Phillip Cassey

  2. Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia

    Andrew P. Woolnough

  3. Wildlife Ecology and Management, Landcare Research, Lincoln, 7640, New Zealand

    Dean Anderson

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  1. Miquel Vall-llosera
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  2. Andrew P. Woolnough
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  3. Dean Anderson
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  4. Phillip Cassey
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Correspondence to Miquel Vall-llosera.

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Vall-llosera, M., Woolnough, A.P., Anderson, D. et al. Improved surveillance for early detection of a potential invasive species: the alien Rose-ringed parakeet Psittacula krameri in Australia. Biol Invasions 19, 1273–1284 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-016-1332-x

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