Budgerigar

Looks how to spot one

feathers

A small, slim parrot with a long, tapering tail. The wild form is grass green below, with a yellow face and forehead and a back and wings covered in fine black wavy barring edged with yellow. Each cheek carries a small violet-blue patch and there is a row of small black spots across the throat. The fleshy band above the beak (the cere) usually turns blue in adult males and brownish or pale in adult females, which is the usual way to tell the sexes apart.213

Personality what they are like

Budgies are lively, curious flock birds that chatter and warble for much of the day. They are happiest with company of their own kind and, when handled gently and patiently, many become tame enough to perch on a hand. Males in particular often pick up words, phrases and household sounds.256

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Wild budgies are nomadic and fly long distances in flocks, so pet birds need plenty of flying. The RSPCA advises at least six hours outside the cage every day in a safe, bird-proofed room, plus toys and perches that encourage climbing and exploring.712

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Budgies preen themselves; offer a shallow water dish or gentle mist for bathing. Provide natural wooden perches of different thicknesses and angles, and keep the cage clean with fresh food and water every day.7

Home where they are happiest

RSPCA guidance: a cage for a bird that spends most time inside it should be at least twice the bird's wingspan in height, width and depth (at least 1.5 times if the bird spends most time out of the cage), with about 5% more space per extra small bird. Aviaries should be at least four times the largest bird's wingspan, with a sheltered indoor section and shade outdoors. Keep birds between about 12 and 26 C and consider flicker-free UV lighting.7

Food basics what goes in the bowl

In the wild they eat mostly small grass and herb seeds, such as spinifex (porcupine grass) and saltbush, picked from the ground, and they drink every day. For pets the RSPCA suggests a quality pellet as the main food (about three quarters), fresh vegetables and some fruit (about a quarter, e.g. carrot, broccoli, peas, deseeded apple), and seed only as a small part (no more than about a tenth). Fresh water always. Avocado must never be fed.318

Company who they like around

A highly social flock species. Keep budgies in pairs or small groups with enough room for every bird to fly and to move away from the others when it wants to.653

The story where it all began

Budgerigars are native to inland Australia, where Aboriginal peoples knew them long before Europeans arrived; the English name is thought to come from a Gamilaraay word. The species was first described scientifically by George Shaw in 1805, and the naturalist John Gould gave it much wider fame in 1840 after bringing live birds to Britain. Europeans began breeding them in captivity in the 1850s, and the first colour mutations soon followed: a yellowish 'suffused green' appeared in the 1870s and the first sky-blue birds in Belgium between about 1878 and 1885. Darker shades, grey, violet, pied, opaline and many other varieties arose in the early 20th century. Specialist societies such as the UK Budgerigar Society developed the larger, rounder exhibition type, while the smaller wild-type bird remains the familiar pet in many countries.249

Recognised by the official bits

The Budgerigar Society (UK)

Specialist society for exhibition budgerigars; publishes the 'Standard for the Colour Budgerigar' and an 'Ideal Budgerigar' picture standard (2025 edition) used for judging shows.9

IUCN Red List (via BirdLife Australia)

The wild species is assessed as Least Concern.3