Halsbandsittich-Schlafplatz Heidelberg

About this spectacle

Each evening around dusk, flocks of ring-necked parakeets (Halsbandsittichen) converge on their communal roost site in Heidelberg, filling the air with raucous calls and vivid green plumage. These naturalised parakeets — now a familiar urban spectacle in several German cities — arrive in waves, wheeling above the treetops before settling noisily for the night. The sheer noise and colour of hundreds of bright-green birds against a fading sky makes for an unexpectedly dramatic wildlife encounter in a university city better known for its castle and river. Visitors position themselves beneath the roost trees in the final hour of daylight, listening to the crescendo of chatter as birds pour in from all directions. The spectacle is self-contained, free to watch, and requires little more than patience and good timing.

When to go

Jan — Dec, peak Oct — Feb

Getting there

Nearest airport: FRA. Nearest city: Mannheim.

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