Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing budgies. In American English, these birds are typically referred to as parakeets which is a name that could be applied to many bird species. For today’s video, we’ll specifically be discussing the species commonly known as the budgerigar, or the budgie. As we’ve stated in previous videos, common animal names aren’t scientific, that’s why the scientific naming system exists!

Budgies are native to Australia, though they’ve been introduced elsewhere. Budgies are some of the most well known pet birds and are often released either accidentally or purposefully in areas outside of their native range. The only place they’ve been able to establish a breeding colony outside of Australia, however, is Florida. Everywhere else the cold weather inhibits their ability to survive.

In Australia, they inhabit the mainland and aren’t typically found along the coast. They migrate North and South based on the weather, sticking to warmer areas where food is most abundant. Budgies live in open habitats and require a source of drinking water nearby. Their diet consists of seeds which are low in moisture so they have to drink to stay hydrated - like pigeons! Budgies are so dependent on water that Australian natives followed these birds to find water sources for themselves. Drought can be detrimental to budgies, and other threats include predators like birds of prey, but their color helps them blend in with their surroundings.

Budgies are easy to identify for their bright colors and striped wings which lend to some of their other common names like shell, scallop, or zebra parrot. In nature they’re green and yellow but captive individuals can be white to blue. Males and females can be told apart during breeding season because females may be beige around the base of their beak where males are blue. Juveniles are duller in color than adults. They may also have more differences in the ultraviolet spectrum. We’ve discussed other animals that appear different in UV light, like scorpions.

In size, budgies are seven inches long, weigh an ounce, and have a one foot wingspan. Wild budgies may be slightly smaller than those in captivity. These birds flock in groups from a few dozen to over a hundred members and when they gather to breed their colonies reach thousands of members. Budgies breed any time during the year but this occurs most commonly right after rainstorms when food is most abundant. They’re monogamous though they can be quite close to their neighbors.

Budgies nest in cavities along fences, logs, and Eucalyptus trees. Their nests may only be a few feet apart from their neighbors. The female tends the nest and lays four to eight eggs over the course of a few days. These are incubated for eighteen days and the chicks leave the nest about a month later. They’ll begin breeding within their first year of life. Budgies typically live fewer than ten years in the wild but may live more than ten years in captivity.

Though they aren’t described as the most vocal of parrots, something that stands out about budgies is they currently hold the record for largest bird vocabulary and are capable of learning more than 1,000 human words.

For more facts on budgies, check out the links below. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today. Thank you to our Patrons SpikeSpiegel93, Dad, and everyone else for their support of this channel! Thank you to these viewers for today’s request! And thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!