THEY are a little bit more colourful than the dark-coloured starlings or grey pigeons normally spotted on Warrington's branches. 

But despite the species originating in India, a group of parakeets are now becoming increasingly easier to spot after numbers have grown in the past few months. 

Reader Wendy Stout sent in these pictures of ring-necked parakeets in her garden in Higher Walton. 

She says they have been visiting her garden for more than a year now and originally thought they had escaped from Walton Gardens. 

The council confirmed this is not the case and added they must be pets that had escaped. 

But the growing numbers in Warrington add to reported flocks in Manchester, Milton Keynes and Sheffield. 

How did parakeets start breeding in the UK ?

It has been reported in the past that there are several theories about ring-necked parakeets being released during the filming of The African Queen in Shepperton in 1951 or by Jimi Hendrix when he let a pair go free in London in the 1960s.

Others say the 1987 storms damaged so many aviaries that many parakeets escaped.

A pair were first recorded as having bred in the wild in 1855.

Nearly 150,000 were imported into Europe as pets between 1984 and 2007.

How many are here?

The Guardian reported last year the latest official figure is 'a minimum of 85,000' in Europe.

The UK estimate was 32,000 in 2012.

What do they eat?

They like fruit, nuts and seeds but are 'wasteful eaters' and will peck at part of an apple then move on to the next one.

Where do they live?

They nest in holes in trees and thrive in areas of parkland close to urban homes.

You're most likely to spot ring-necked parakeets in Ramsgate, inside the M25 and central London parks. 

Alexandra Park, Birchfields Park and Platt Fields Park in Manchester have also been good places to spot them in the past. 

What should I look out for?

A flash of green plummage and a shrill squawk are usually the tell-tale signs. 

Watch this video from reader Wendy Stout to hear it.

Have you spotted Warrington's flock of ring-necked parakeets?

Email your pictures or video to hannah.bargery@nqnw.co.uk.