Bird Guide

Budgies

Budgies, or budgerigars are originally from Australia. In the wild they live in flocks that can have hundreds of individuals. They are not endangered in the wild and are easily bred in captivity. Budgies are the number one pet bird around the world today. With proper adult supervision most budgies can make a wonderful first companion for any child. Their antics can amuse both young and old alike. They are often kept in nursing homes, group homes, and larger residential facilities because their cheerful dispositions have had many positive effects on these residents. Budgies, are more commonly known as parakeets, and are generally loving, playful, and loyal. They do not necessarily become known as a one person bird. Both males and females can learn to talk.

Interesting fact: The name budgerigar means very good eating in aborigines.

Budgies come in over a thousand color mutations. There are also physical mutations such as tufted, crested, half-circular crested, and neck-maned budgies. In most color mutations the male and the female show sexual dimorphic characteristics. That means that there are visual differences between the male and the female budgie. Usually an adult male budgie has a blue colored cere, while the adult female budgie has a pink or brownish colored cere. In most color mutations, young budgies have stripes that cover the head and continue down to the cere. The color of the cere will be pinkish. As the bird matures, this color may change to a blue if the bird is a male. This is true with most color mutations. This is why it is important to know how old a budgie is if you are trying to determine it's sex.

There are two different body types of budgies to choose from. The American budgie is the most popular and is the one that is most often seen in pet stores. The American budgie is around seven inches long, the tail making up a lot of it's length. It's head is small and is proportionate to the body. The American budgie has a life expectancy of 10-15 years. The other body type of budgie is the English budgie. The English budgie is mainly kept as a show bird. The head and chest on an English budgie is larger than the American budgie. The English budgie has a life expectancy of 7-8 years. They are not as popular as the American budgie. The English budgie is more expensive than it's American counterpart. The American budgie has a reputation as being a better talker and being smarter.

Budgies are not given enough credit for their intelligence. Most budgies are very easy to tame provided you start working with them at a young age. It is best to house them singly because they tend to bond with each other instead of with humans. Their temperament will range from being very loving and friendly to nippy and mean. They can make a great first time pet as well as the ideal pet for the experienced bird owner. They can be taught a variety of tricks or cued behaviors. They are also excellent talkers and can develop large vocabularies.

Budgies need to have a healthy and varied diet if they are to thrive. If they are not given a proper diet they may only have a life expectancy of a few years. They need to have several toys to play with and need the interaction with their humans. They should not just be kept in a cage and ignored.

Their voices are not loud like that of the larger birds, but they can be noisy at times. Some people find this chatter annoying while others do not. They are not nearly as messy as some of the other birds, but have been known to throw a few seeds here and there. They are prone to some dietary related problems such as tumors, and fatty liver disease, as well as French molt, giardia, and gout.