They may look pretty but appearances can be deceiving – Indian ringneck parakeets are an unwanted pest here in New Zealand.

The Waikato Regional Council is appealing to owners of these birds to do all they can to prevent them escaping after an Indian ring neck parakeet population was discovered near Paeroa recently.

A green Indian ringneck parakeet taking advantage of a bird feeder at a Hikutaia property. Photo: WRC

WRC Biosecurity officer Thomas Malcolm says it's unclear exactly how the 12-15 bird population became established in the Waikato town of Hikutaia, but it's possibly the result of pets escaping from cages.

'Late last year the Indian ring neck parakeet was determined to be an unwanted organism by the Ministry for Primary Industries,” he says.

'They can do severe damage to crops and introduce diseases amongst native birds, such as the endangered native kaka.”

Because of its unwanted status, parakeets cannot be released into the wild without permission from the ministry. However, breeding, exhibiting the parakeets in captivity or selling them to be held in captivity is permitted.

The council, the ministry and the Department of Conservation are now considering options for controlling the Hikutaia birds.

In the meantime, Thomas is encouraging all owners of these birds to do all they can to prevent escapes and to get their wings clipped regularly.

'If they no longer want their pet bird, or cannot care for it any longer, people should not release it into the wild. There are aviaries that will take them.”

Thomas says there are no other known populations of the parakeets in the wild at this stage in Waikato.

Indian ring neck parakeets are usually green or yellow but can also be blue or grey.

People who spot these bird are asked to take note of the location and time birds are seen, how many there were, the direction they were heading and what they were doing.

Anyone who believes they have seen Indian ring necked parakeets can report sightings to the Ministry for Primary industries on 0800-80-99-66.