The Australian Budgerigar

The Budgerigar is a native Australian bird and a small parrot.

In the wild the Australian Budgie is green and yellow, with black bars, but in captivity they have been bred in a variety of colours.

They are about 18 centimetres long and weigh around 30 to 40 grams.

They are social birds that are normally found in small flocks, but they can form large flocks, which occasionally number in the thousands.

Budgies eat the seeds of native herbs and grasses.

When tame they can be very friendly and affectionate and some of them can be excellent talkers, although not all of them.

The father of my friend, Teresa, bred budgies for years, with some amazing colours resulting, they used to have a few that they would bring inside to socialise and some of them were taught to talk quite easily but others just didn't learn, maybe they didn't want to, I know they all had very different personalities.

Breeding is dependant on seasonal weather patterns and the availability of water and food. They lay five to six eggs, which the mother incubates for 17 to 18 days.

The mother usually cares for the young.

The Australian Budgie is widespread in mainland Australia, but are usually found in the open areas in the interior of the country.

The Budgerigar is nomadic and the movement of flocks is connected to the availability of water and feed.