Bird feeders are popular with Ring-necked parakeetsPARROTS feature in the top 10 most common birds in Bexley, according to the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch.
In a surprising list of results, the ninth most-sighted bird in the borough during the birdwatch in January was the ring-necked parakeet.
Figures revealed an average of one of the bright-green parrots was sighted in 37 per cent of gardens.
An RSPB spokeswoman said: “The ring-necked parakeet is a tropical species found in Britain only because it has escaped or been released from captivity.
“Parakeets have lived in the UK in the wild for a long time, but they only started to breed since 1969 in Kent.
“Since then, the population has steadily increased and it’s estimated as many as 20,000 individuals live here today.”
The house sparrow was the borough’s most common bird.
January’s birdwatch encouraged Bexley homeowners to spend an hour recording the different bird species and their quantities in a park or garden.