Budgerigar

Melopsittacus undulatus · The budgerigar, or budgie, is a small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrot that lives wild in the drier parts of Australia.

Also called Budgie, Common parakeet, Shell parakeet, Common Pet Parakeet.

Budgerigar
Photo: Carlos Valenzuela, CC BY-SA 4.0
Budgerigar
Photo: Sean Kelleher from Melbourne, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0
Budgerigar
Photo: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassAves
OrderPsittaciformes
FamilyPsittaculidae
GenusMelopsittacus
SpeciesMelopsittacus undulatus

Where it lives

Dry grassland and scrub across inland Australia.

Fun facts

  • A budgie named Puck holds the world record for the largest vocabulary of any bird, at 1,728 words.
  • Budgie feathers glow under ultraviolet light, which may help them with courtship and choosing a mate.
  • Budgies show affection by feeding each other: one eats seeds and then passes them from its own mouth into its flockmate's mouth.
  • Budgies have four types of colour-sensing cells in their eyes, but they only all work together in sunlight or under a UV lamp.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).