Budgerigars are what we call parakeets in the US, and I'm betting most of you Americans either owned one when you were a child, or knew someone who did/does. The bird was/is probably named Petey.
Budgies are in nearly every pet store in the US, and sell for around $19.95. The birds are about 7" long. They are striped on the wings and backs, and most of the head. The stripes are black. The most common color is yellow with black stripes and green, but they also come in white and blue, white and violet, yellow and blue, yellow and violet, white and turquoise, etc. In short, anything but orange and red. Some of them have amazing vocabulary, but don't necessarily use it with meaning the way the bigger birds do, such as quaker parrots or African Grey Parrots.
The reason the rest of the world calls them budgerigars instead of parakeets is because parakeet is a general term applied to long tailed parrots, of which there are many. They consist of about 120 species with many sub-species. The parakeet genera are found in various parrot sub-families. They are some of the most gorgeous birds in the world.
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Budgies: My Hermione moment.
Date: 2005-06-22 03:02 pm (UTC)Budgies are in nearly every pet store in the US, and sell for around $19.95. The birds are about 7" long. They are striped on the wings and backs, and most of the head. The stripes are black. The most common color is yellow with black stripes and green, but they also come in white and blue, white and violet, yellow and blue, yellow and violet, white and turquoise, etc. In short, anything but orange and red. Some of them have amazing vocabulary, but don't necessarily use it with meaning the way the bigger birds do, such as quaker parrots or African Grey Parrots.
The reason the rest of the world calls them budgerigars instead of parakeets is because parakeet is a general term applied to long tailed parrots, of which there are many. They consist of about 120 species with many sub-species. The parakeet genera are found in various parrot sub-families. They are some of the most gorgeous birds in the world.
The bird nerd will shut up now.