Budgies
Budgerigars (or budgies as they are popularly known) are friendly, colourful little birds originating from Australia. They are full of character and personality and are popular as pets, and some can even be taught to talk and whistle.
In the wild, the only natural colour of budgies is green, but they have been bred in various colours such as blue, yellow, grey and white in captivity. Their natural habitat is the open scrubland and grassland of Australia and they can be found throughout the mainland, apart from the wetter areas of the east, the far south-west, and the northern edges of the Northern Territory.
Budgies roost together in trees in the wild and build their nests in hollow tree trunks, and their favourite home is the eucalyptus tree.
Female budgies (hens) can tell when it is breeding season by patterns of light and the shortening and lengthening of the days. Hens lay four to eight eggs (one every two days), and each one needs incubating for around18 days (occasionally a little longer), after which they hatch.
Some Interesting Facts
- Budgies have a hidden third eyelid that helps lubricate the eyes and keeps them clean and free from debris.
- Each budgie has around 3,000 feathers in total across their whole body.
- Budgies can also have monocular vision, which means they can move and see out of each eye independently of the other one.
- Most budgies can at least say a few words, and they are the most vocal of all pet bird species.
- Budgies poop as often as every twenty minutes!