The Inverness parakeet attacking cars in the Highlands

For several weeks, a parakeet has been attacking vehicles in a small town in northern Scotland. The bird has already caused several thousand euros’ worth of damage, and residents do not know what to do about the seemingly determined vandal targeting their property.

Inverness is a peaceful city of just over 80,000 people, situated on the River Ness in the heart of the Scottish Highlands. Compared with cities such as Glasgow and Edinburgh, it is hardly known for crime. Until now, its residents’ chief public enemy has been the midge: tiny flies that travel in swarms during summer and bite anyone who ventures outside unprotected until they bleed.

Inverness parakeet targets vehicles

For several weeks, though, locals have had another equally irritating intruder to contend with. A parakeet has settled in one neighbourhood and taken to attacking their vehicles, tearing off rubber seals, pulling apart windscreen wipers and scraping windows with repeated blows of its beak. Even animal welfare organisations have been unable to catch the little winged menace.

The feathered scourge of the Highlands

Speaking to STV News, in the YouTube video below, resident Angus Chisholm discussed the situation with the reporter in characteristically British fashion, despite being fed up. “My car is so damaged now that I’m not sure she can do any more damage. So I’m leaving it as it is until I change cars,” he said. He believes the bird is domesticated, although that has not been confirmed.

Other residents have come up with inventive ways to discourage the parakeet, and some have worked. Roger Eddie chose a deterrent, placing two plastic snakes on his dashboard. “She hasn’t damaged anything since […]”, he said. His neighbour, meanwhile, applies peppermint oil along his window seals: apparently, the bird dislikes the taste.

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A solitary parakeet

Why would such a peaceful animal behave in this apparently peculiar way? In fact, parakeets, like other birds in the parrot family, have powerful beaks and brains that are oversized for their bodies. When they are bored, that can be a formidable combination.

If a bird finds itself isolated, as appears to be the case here, with neither companions of its own kind nor a human owner, it can develop compulsive and destructive behaviours. It does not do so for pleasure: extreme loneliness can drive this sociable animal to seek some form of interaction desperately. Damaging inanimate objects gives it a way to channel its considerable energy and exercise its cognitive abilities.

Inverness council and insurance response

Inverness council passed the matter aside, explaining that wild parakeets were not its responsibility. NatureScot, the Scottish government agency responsible for nature conservation, clarified that an escaped parakeet does not have the legal status of a protected wild bird. That means any resident may legally capture and keep it.

Insurance policies generally cover animal damage under “natural events” or “acts of vandalism”, although anyone trying to enforce their rights with an insurer may need good luck. Explaining to an adviser that the vandal has feathers and a hooked beak promises to be a memorable conversation. The local garages are probably the only ones in this story who do not need any sympathy.