Why Jimi Hendrix Is Still Being Blamed By Brits For An Exotic Animal Invasion 55 Years After His Death

The new David Attenborough documentary, Wild London — an insight into the wildlife of the near-centenarian broadcaster's home city — brings new attention to a decades-old urban myth surrounding rock legend Jimi Hendrix and his purported role in bringing unusual creatures to the capital.

In the television special, Attenborough showcases the presence of African parakeets in London and their ever-increasing presence in the city.

"I still remember the first time I saw a parakeet in my garden some 30 years ago," Attenborough recalls. "I couldn't believe my eyes. What on earth was an exotic bird I'd seen on my travels doing in my London home?"

In one scene, a mighty flock of parakeets descend on a nearby cemetery, filling one bare-branch tree to a degree that makes it look like it is in full spring bloom. Their dazzling green hue brightens up the typically grey London skyline, and it's certainly clear this is not their natural habitat.

"There are many urban legends as to how parakeets originally got here," Attenborough explains. "Some say Jimi Hendrix released London's first parakeets. Others believe they escaped from a film set of The African Queen."

How Did Jimi Hendrix Get the Blame for London’s Parakeet Invasion — and Is It True?

An urban myth among Londoners is that in the capital's Carnaby Street during the late 1960s, Hendrix, ever the rock 'n' roll rebel, released two parakeets, named Adam and Eve. There's no record of Hendrix owning the exotic pet birds, and his premature, mysterious death at the age of 27 in 1970 means that his personal life has been the subject of mythos for the past 55 years.

However, a 2019 investigation into the origin of parakeets in London cleared Hendrix of the blame for the invasion. Although it is unknown whether Hendrix indeed released the birds into the city skyline, ornithology experts concluded it was unlikely to be a singular, isolated incident, and two birds were unlikely to have created the 30,000-strong presence of parakeets in the capital.

It was also deemed unlikely that The African Queen, released in 1951, played a role either. . The rumor that parakeets escaped from Shepperton Studios in Surrey could not be true, as the film was actually produced at Worton Hall studios, near Twickenham.

More likely to be the case? The parakeet population is "descended from pets that escaped into the city," Attenborough asserts. This would involve countless pets, especially after the rise of exotic bird ownership in the UK from the mid-1970s, with a boom in population in the 1990s.

"However, one thing is certain — life in London suits them very well indeed."