Parakeets

A common house pet, the parakeet is actually any number of varieties of small to medium-sized parrots. Although predominately native to Australia, the bird is also found in Africa, Asia and South America. Budgerigars are popular pets around the world due to their small size, low cost, ability to mimic human speech and playful nature.

The most common in the U.S.A. is the Budgerigar (hence the common reference, "budgie"), an Australian genus that is naturally green and yellow with black, scalloped markings on the nape, back and wings. Over time breeders have created a rainbow of blues, whites, yellows and gray. Like most parrot species, budgerigar plumage fluoresces under ultraviolet light.

The color of the area containing the nostrils (cere) differs between the sexes, being royal blue in males, pale brown to white (non-breeding) or brown (breeding) in females, and pink in youth of both sexes (usually of a more even purplish-pink color in young males).

Budgerigars are extremely nomadic birds found in open habitats like scrubland, open woodlands and grasslands. The birds are normally found in small flocks, but can form very large flocks under favorable conditions. The movement of the flocks is tied to the availability of food and water.

The budgerigar has been bred in captivity since the 1850s, and generally lives an average of five to eight years, but life spans of 15–20 years have been reported. The lifespan depends on breed, lineage and health, being highly influenced by exercise and diet.

Budgerigars are intelligent and social animals and enjoy the stimulation of toys and interaction with humans, as well as with other budgerigars. They particularly enjoy chewing material such as wood, especially females. When a budgerigar feels threatened, it will try to perch as high as possible and may make itself appear thin by bringing its feathers close against its body.

Tame budgerigars can be taught to speak, whistle tunes and play with people. While Both males and females sing and can learn to mimic sounds and words and do simple tricks, singing and mimicry are more pronounced and better perfected in males. Males can easily acquire vocabularies ranging between a few dozen to a hundred words, and those kept as only pets generally the best speakers.

Although budgerigars in their natural habitat eat mainly grass seeds, those in captivity feed on dry, sprouted or soaked seeds supplemented with foods such as whole cereals, whole grains, several kinds of flowers and fruits.

They breed best in groups, but are usually fine breeding in pairs. Hearing other parakeets encourages a pair to breed, which is why breeding in groups is more successful. Females lay 4-6 eggs over a period of days and incubate them for 18–21 days. Female Budgerigars only leave their nests for very quick periods once they've begun incubating and are by then almost exclusively fed by their mate (usually at the nest's entrance).

The hatchlings are blind, naked and totally helpless. At around 10 days of age, the chicks' eyes will open, and they will start to develop feather down. Feathers begin around three weeks of age. At this stage of the chicks' development, the male usually has begun to enter the nest to help his female in caring and feeding the chicks. Some budgerigar females, however, totally forbid the male from entering the nest and thus take the full responsibility of rearing the chicks until they leave the nest (or fledge). Young typically fledge around their fifth week of age and are usually completely weaned a week later.