Genetic and Acoustic Diversity in an Invasive Parrot

Dr Amy Leedale

 Applications accepted all year round
 Self-Funded PhD Students Only

About the Project

The ring-necked parakeet Psittacula krameri is one of the world’s most successfully introduced species. Native to the Indian sub-continent and sub-Saharan Africa, this species is the UK’s only naturalised parrot, and populations are continuing to increase rapidly across Europe.

P. krameri are highly gregarious, and vocalizations play an important part in their ecology. In parrots, vocalizations are typically learned during rearing, which can give rise to regional accents, similar to those observed in humans. Studying patterns of acoustic variation in vocal learners can reveal important insights into the cultural basis of vocal development.

Through a combination of bioacoustics and field observations, this project will explore the ecology of an invasive species of local and global conservation concern and contribute to our broader understanding of vocal development in a highly social species. It will engage public communities, utilise citizen science, and contribute to conservation management strategies.

Supervisor: Dr Amy Leedale

Funding Notes

To inquire about University of Salford funding schemes – including the Widening

Participation Scholarship – visit this website:

View Website.

References

Jackson, H., Strubbe, D., Tollington, S., Prys‐Jones, R., Matthysen, E., & Groombridge, J. J. (2015).
Ancestral origins and invasion pathways in a globally invasive bird correlate with climate and influences from bird trade. Molecular Ecology, 24(16), 4269–4285. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.13307.
Smeele, S. Q., Tyndel, S. A., Aplin, L. M., & McElreath, M. B. (2023). Multilevel Bayesian analysis of monk parakeet contact calls shows dialects between European cities. Behavioral Ecology, 35(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arad093.