What is your favourite introduced species?

One that finds a niche without displacing native species.

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This is for southeast Texas, USA
Favorite introduced vertebrate: Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus)
Favorite introduced invertebrate: Common Pill Woodlouse (Armadillidium vulgare)
Favorite introduced grass: Little Quaking-Grass (Briza minor)
Favorite introduced wildflower: Southern Rockbell (Wahlenbergia marginata)
Favorite introduced edible plant: Common Chickweed (Stellaria media)

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Source? Maybe a few escapees but I don’t think there’s an established population.

They’re native there.

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Regarding my local area only: I can’t dislike House Finches, their song is so pretty. Great Tits are beautiful as well and they have so much personality. I especially like that one because its rang is so limited in North America, and that’s kind of fascinating.

The current moose seem to be an introduced population:

https://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/WildlifeSpecies/Mammals/MooseReintroductionFactSheet.pdf

That link was difficult to open, unsure if it is because I am not within the US. but here is more on the moose situation: https://coloradooutdoorsmag.com/2021/03/03/colorado-moose-reintroduction/

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A reintroduction is very different from an introduction.

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Well, I am not sure that it would still be considered “native” if it is there because of man, but even so, if you go into the article:

Historical records dating back to the 1850s indicate that moose wandered into northern Colorado from Wyoming, but were transient and never established a stable breeding population. Most of the historic sightings involved hunters seeing and/or harvesting a single bull moose.

In 1978, state wildlife experts transplanted 24 male and female moose from Wyoming and Utah to create a breeding population in North Park and provide hunting opportunities.

It is more like state wildlife specialist were “reintroducing” a species that had never really been established but only basically touristed.

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I thought they were native? I saw a handful up in north-central CO growing up. And CDOW always acted like they were a native regulated species. Up there the mountain goats were my favorite non native…highly restricted range and habitats helps.

My answer to the question asked: where I am now, it’s house geckos hands down. Cute little guys but I’m seeing a lot less of them after our hard freezes the last couple years. Monk parakeets are up there too because holy cow parrots!

Papaver somniferum, they pop up in little patches.

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A lot of my favorite introduced species are ones that are heavily synanthropic and found mainly around areas of human habitation- I don’t even view them as introduced in the same way as species that establish in wild ecosystems, I just see them as indigenous inhabitants of the new environments created by industrialized society. Bonus points if they’re species that have difficulty surviving outdoors year-round in some of the climates where they’re found. American cockroaches, house centipedes and longbodied cellar spiders are some of my favorites in this category.

Otherwise some of the introduced species I enjoy encountering a lot include chinese mantids, european hornets and brahminy blindsnakes. Spotted lanternflies are also gorgeous and there’s nothing else like them in their introduced range.

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I recently did a small work project at Tyson, nothing much just helping to collect plant clipping, and on the wall there was this little tally chart. Over the few summer months students at Tyson had seen thirty-something peacocks. I talked to the person there and my impression was that this was a fairly consistent thing.

Absolutely adore these. Brown hare brought to the UK by the Romans, or maybe earlier.

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There are a surprising number of less-common introduced species, mostly birds, here in New England that aren’t wreaking too much havok on the surrounding environment, many of which are actually declining and I’d be pretty excited to spot. These include:

Chukar
Monk Parakeet
Ring-Necked Pheasant
Helmeted Guineafowl
Golden Pheasant
Mandarin Duck

A few of these species are more common as escapes than as established introduced species. I honestly don’t mind if, for example, a nearby city or town has a small population of some nonnative animal so long as they aren’t outcompeting the native fauna.

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I’d imagine they were probably livestock from a local farm, but if you have some data or something for me to look at I’d love to see it.

Of those you mention, the only established species would be Ring-necked Pheasant and Monk Parakeet. The other would appear in New England only as escapees.

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In SE Florida. Mine has to be the Knight Anole. They’re huge and cool looking, and a bonus is that they love to eat other invasives.


My favorite introduced plant has to be Water Spangles. They’re so mesmerizing.

…and the local population of Gray-headed Swamphens. They look so out-of-place

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I like Himalayan Blackberry. The berries are large and delicious, so I don’t see it as a problem species despite its invasive habits. Our native Trailing Blackberries are great too, but their berries are smaller and more difficult to find.

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European wall lizards are my favorites. Invasive herps in the US are more of a southern thing so it’s interesting that we have a couple introduced populations up north.
There’s still a lot of things we need to figure out about them, such as how they evolved to deal with the colder weather here, how they deal with low genetic diversity, and where they hibernate.

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I checked the medium temp for months from the north spots in Europe it’s found on iNat and from NA, and they’re pretty similar taking how in Europe it inhabits a big range from Southern Greece to Northern Germany, it wouldn’t have any problems with warm US or Vancouver that shows pretty warm winters.