Budgies in the Wild

Budgies belong to the parrot family.  They have hooked bills and thick tongues, and like all other Parrots, they have the reversed, or climbing foot--two toes face front, two back.   They are among the smallest breeds in the Parrot family.  

Budgies hail from the grasslands of Australia and were introduced to Europe in the mid 1800s by the famous ornithologist John Gould.   They were successfully bred in captivity and soon color mutations appeared.  Budgies gained worldwide popularity after WWII. Today, Budgies are the most popular pet bird in the WORLD!                                 

American/Pet  Budgies

American Budgies (or pet Budgies) are similar in size to the wild Budgie of Australia.  In the wild, the Budgie's natural color is green.  The American budgie is the bird typically sold in pet stores.

English/ Exhibition Budgies

Exhibition Budgerigars (English Budgies)

English Budgies (or exhibition Budgies) are larger than the wild Australian Parakeets.  Their larger size is due to selective breeding and they have larger crests than the American (or pet) variety.  Like the American bird, they come in an amazing range of colors.  They are called Exhibition or show Budgies because they are the Parakeets that are entered in bird shows.  The English and American Budgie are the same species.  They can be interbred.                                

Budgies are extremely sociable  and enjoy each others company.   Unless you plan to spend a lot of time with your Budgie, be sure to buy more than one.  Kept alone, without extensive interaction with other birds or humans, a Budgie will become depressed and not eat well and generally not thrive. 

The more time you spend with your bird(s), the more you will enjoy them.  If you want to tame your Budgie, you need to start with just the one bird.  Keeping a single Budgie is a big responsibility, because you are in essence signing up to be its buddy.  Budgies need company.  It would be cruel to keep a Budgie alone if you did not spend adequate time with it.  I would imagine that you need to plan on spending at least a half hour a day (at a minimum)  with your pal to keep it happy and to tame it.  Many people say that Parrots should be out of their cages for two hours per day to keep them happy.  Both males and females make excellent pets, although a male may have more talent when it comes to speaking.  Remember, the more time you spend with your bird, the tamer and friendlier it will be become.

 Budgies have unique personalities.  Some are quiet timid, while others are bold and extremely curious.   By carefully observing your bird you will learn what it likes and the key to his/her heart.  There are many good articles on taming your bird on the internet.   A handfed baby budgie enjoys time with a human friend.  Be sure to have your Budgies wing feathers trimmed properly, when you are taming your bird.  This is for the safety of the bird.  Having its wings clipped will prevent the bird from crashing at full speed into windows or mirrors, flying into a toilet and drowning, or escaping out an open door.  With its wings clipped, your budgie should be able to flutter to the ground safely.  A sweet hand tamed Budgie comes when called.  It doesn't take long to tame a Budgie, but it does take consistent effort.  You are lucky if you can find someone who will sell you a handfed Budgie.  However, they are so sweet that you can successfully tame them without hand feeding them.  

Keeping a group of Budgies is equally fun.  They are very entertaining to watch.  Their chatter is perky and bright.  Budgies are great house pets because they are not loud like many other breeds.