English Budgies

There are two types of budgerigars. The American budgerigar is generally called a parakeet. The English budgerigar is generally called a budgie. They belong to the broad-tailed tribe of the parrot family. An English budgie has fuller feathering around the face and is larger than the American parakeet and is often used in shows and exhibitions. Most pet stores carry the smaller American parakeet. Budgies originated in Australia. Their normal color in the wild is green with a yellow face and throat and black bars on their wings, back and head. The fleshy part around their nostrils, the cere, is pink in baby budgies, beige or tan in mature females and blue in mature males. Selective breeding has produced a wide variety of colors and patterns in budgies, such as blue, yellow, mauve, violet and many others. Budgies get along well as pairs but will bond with humans better if they are not paired. However, when keeping a single bird, it is important to spend a significant amount of time with your budgie daily. It is also a good idea to allow your budgie to spend time outside of their small stainless steel bird cage each day, roaming the house or at least one room. It is probably a good idea to keep wings trimmed to prevent the bird from flying out an open door or window. While budgies are quieter than most parrots, they can be noisy and they are extremely friendly, active and playful. Budgies can be taught to talk although they are not always easy to understand because they have such tiny voices. In fact, the world’s record for the number of words learned by a bird has been held by a budgie. Budgies purchased from a pet store may be more difficult to tame and train than budgies hand raised from a private breeder. When choosing a budgie, look for a bright, sleek, active bird with clean, smooth and shiny feathers. Their nostrils should be clear and clean, their beak clean and well-shaped, and their feet should be smooth, their claws in good shape. Birds who sit quietly with their feathers puffed up may be ill. Budgies are an excellent choice for someone who has never owned a bird before because they are so friendly and adaptable.