The Budgerigar, often nicknamed the budgie or parakeet, is one of the smallest members of the parrot family. It is found worldwide as pets and in the deserts of Australia in the wild.
Appearance[]
The Budgie comes in a variety of different colors in captivity, similar to the Cockatiel (blue, violet, yellow, gray, pied, etc). However, the "wild mutation" of the Budgie is light green underbelly, with a a yellow and black patterned head and wings. The Budgie generally has a blue tail and blueish- grayish feet.
In females, the cere, or colored top of the beak, right below the nostrils, is pink in young birds, royal blue in adult males, and white to brown in adult females.
As pets[]
Budgies are the most commonly kept parrot in the U.S. due to their small size, readiness to breed, bright colors and males' ability to whistle or mimic speech. However, disregarding the fact that this parrot is often bred spontaneously, this bird is still not domesticated. The closest version of a domesticated (but not entirely) parrot as a whole is none other than the English Budgerigar. This bird was bred multiple times in the United Kingdom, and the English Budge just came to be, but many sources often regard the Budgie as a domesticated pet due to their popularity as pets and to breeders.