London's Rose-Ringed Parakeets

The lowdown

One of the most surreal free sights in London is also one of the easiest to find, great flocks of wild rose-ringed parakeets, bright emerald green with long tails and a raucous screech, wheeling over the parks. Nobody is quite sure how they got here, with theories ranging from escapees from a film set to birds released by Jimi Hendrix, but they have thrived for decades and now number in the tens of thousands.

They are boldest in the bigger parks, especially Richmond Park, Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, where they will swoop down to feed from an outstretched hand. Watching a flash of tropical green flicker through a grey London sky is a free, genuinely uplifting bit of urban wildlife, and proof the city is wilder than it looks.

Bring a few sunflower seeds or an apple and stand still near the feeding spots that the regulars know, and you may get a parakeet to land on your hand. It is free, a little chaotic and a delight for children and adults alike.