Mary Allen
The budgerigar is a species of bird in the parrot family. In nature, he lives exclusively in Australia. It is about 18 centimeters long from the head to the tip of the tail and weighs about 30 to 40 grams. It is the most common parrot species in Australia.
In nature, budgerigars have yellow-green plumage with a yellow face and neck. They get their name from the wavy pattern on their feathers. The beak is yellow-grey. The tail has different levels. Budgies can live anywhere from five to ten years in captivity. You don’t know what it’s like in nature.
The sex can be recognized by the skin of the wax or the skin of the nose. This is the skin over the nose. No feathers grow there. In the males, the cere is blue. In the females it is brown.
Budgerigars have been kept as pets in many countries for almost 200 years. There are many breed clubs. For example, the breeders try to get the animals bigger. They were also able to breed different colors: today there are blue and white budgerigars and even rainbow-colored ones. They show their budgies at shows and sell them.
How do budgies live?
In Australia, budgerigars live in dry areas. They don’t like forests. Usually, the budgerigars live together in small flocks. If they have enough to eat and drink, the swarms can sometimes become huge. In the past, water was often a problem for them, but today they like to use the water troughs set up for the cattle.
Budgerigars only eat small seeds found on low plants just above the ground. Before that, they free the seeds from the shell with their short, strong beak.
The females incubate the eggs, usually four to six at a time. An egg is about the same size as a euro-cent coin. The chicks hatch from the eggs after about 18 days. The mother usually incubates four to six eggs at a time. The chicks quickly become independent. After just under four months, they form pairs and can reproduce.