Conservationists are urging locals to protect rare Alexandrine parakeets that are slowly disappearing in northern Thailand.

Environmentalists appealed to temple authorities after learning of plans to cut down rubber trees - the birds' natural habitat - in Nonthaburi province, on the outskirts of the concreted metropolis Bangkok.

The monks had been planning to tear down the trees by January next year as they were scared they were hazardous and could collapse if they were struck by lightning.

However, the hollows in the trees were still being used as nests.

Temple officials are now being asked to wait until around April 2024 to allow the eggs to hatch.

The parakeets had been residing in the Thai province, but have become a rare sight as human activity reportedly disrupted their food sources and natural habitats. They also have a low breeding rate, laying only three or four eggs a year.

Conservationists studying the parakeets have been building artificial nests to help support the birds' dwindling population in Thailand.

Alexandrine parakeets are a protected species under the Thai Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act.

The law imposes penalties on individuals involved in capturing, harming, hunting, possessing, or trading them.

They are listed as 'near-threatened' under the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.