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Dancing Senegal Parrot

Kili

Type: Senegal Parrot
Genus: Poicephalus
Species: Senegalus
Subspecies: Mesotypus
Sex: Female
Weight: 120 grams
Height: 9 inches
Age: 15 years, 9 months
Caped Cape Parrot

Truman

Type: Cape Parrot
Genus: Poicephalus
Species:Robustus
Subspecies: Fuscicollis
Sex: Male
Weight: 330 grams
Height: 13 inches
Age: 14 years
Blue and Gold Macaw

Rachel

Type: Blue & Gold Macaw
Genus: Ara
Species:ararauna
Sex: Female
Weight: 850 grams
Height: 26 inches
Age: 11 years, 9 months
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Additional Top Articles
Stop Parrot Biting
Getting Your First Parrot
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Evolution of Flight
Clipping Wings
How to Put Parrot In Cage
Kili's Stroller Trick
Camping Parrots
Socialization
Truman's Tree
Parrot Wizard Seminar
Kili on David Letterman
Cape Parrot Review
Roudybush Pellets

List of Common Parrots:

Parakeets:
Budgerigar (Budgie)
Alexandrine Parakeet
African Ringneck
Indian Ringneck
Monk Parakeet (Quaker Parrot)

Parrotlets:
Mexican Parrotlet
Green Rumped Parrotlet
Blue Winged Parrotlet
Spectacled Parrotlet
Dusky Billed Parrotlet
Pacific Parrotlet
Yellow Faced Parrotlet

Lovebirds:
Peach Faced Lovebird
Masked Lovebird
Fischer's Lovebird
Lilian's (Nyasa) Lovebird
Black Cheeked Lovebird
Madagascar Lovebird
Abyssinian Lovebird
Red Faced Lovebird
Swindern's Lovebird

Lories and Lorikeets:
Rainbow Lorikeet

Conures:
Sun Conure
Jenday Conure
Cherry Headed Conure
Blue Crowned Conure
Mitred Conure
Patagonian Conure
Green Cheeked Conure
Nanday Conure

Caiques:
Black Headed Caique
White Bellied Caique

Poicephalus Parrots:
Senegal Parrot
Meyer's Parrot
Red Bellied Parrot
Brown Headed Parrot
Jardine's Parrot
Cape Parrot
Ruppell's Parrot

Eclectus:
Eclectus Parrot

African Greys:
Congo African Grey (CAG)
Timneh African Grey (TAG)

Amazons:
Blue Fronted Amazon
Yellow Naped Amazon
Yellow Headed Amazon
Orange Winged Amazon
Yellow Crowned Amazon

Cockatoos:
Cockatiel
Galah (Rose Breasted) Cockatoo
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
Umbrella Cockatoo
Moluccan Cockatoo
Bare Eyed Cockatoo
Goffin's Cockatoo

Macaws:
Red Shouldered (Hahn's) Macaw
Severe Macaw
Blue And Gold Macaw
Blue Throated Macaw
Military Macaw
Red Fronted Macaw
Scarlet Macaw
Green Winged Macaw
Hyacinth Macaw

Glossary of Common Parrot Terms

Budgerigar - Most Underrated Parrot/Parakeet

Comments (9)

By Michael Sazhin

Tuesday August 28th, 2012

"It's just a parakeet" is an expression I hear to often and yet is so untrue. Budgerigars, often referred to simply as parakeets, are the most underrated of parrot species. I would like to share some of the experiences I had with one and provide some tips to owners of these wonderful birds. If you don't remember, I had a Dark Eyed Clear mutation Budgerigar named Duke who was a wonderful trick performer. Unfortunately he died young so I never learned his true potential. Still I would like to share some of what I learned about parakeets with you.

While the Melopsittacus undulatus is the most commonly kept companion parrot, it is also the most underrated and misunderstood. From name, to diet, to capabilities, owners are clueless. This of course is not surprising considering the ways in which these miniscule parrots come to be owned. Some are bought window shopping, others as gifts, many as toys for children, others found, a few taken off someone's hands who no longer wants them, etc. Whatever the means that budgies are acquired, it is usually so easy that they are often seen as cheap, incapable, and unimportant pets. When people spend thousands of dollars on a parrot, they have some kind of commitment to the bird in that they were at least serious enough to put that kind of money on the line. However, with a $10 budgie, the cage it inhabits often costs 5-10 times as much as the bird itself! Unfortunately many people see these birds as expendable.

Parakeet

Budgerigars are easy to breed and can be cranked out in all sorts of color mutations. When choosing a parakeet, most people are more concerned with the color than its suitability as a pet. All too often people buy these parrots for children as a pet for them to have while growing up without any concern for the complexity of the creature or its longevity.

Parakeet Prizes

Despite their low price tag or reputation, Budgies are more alike their big parrot cousins than different. They share the same characteristics but in a smaller size. They have the same characteristic zygodactyl feet, hook bill, vocalization capabilities, and atypical bird intelligence as do larger parrots. While parakeets are not the smartest of parrots, they are leaps and bounds ahead of your typical song bird, rodents, and other animals of their size. Heck, don't be surprised if the worthless little parakeet is more intelligent than your cat/dog! Scientific studies continue to find greater cognitive capabilities in Psittacines than ever imagined.

White Budgerigar

Budgies are quick learners and very good at training. Their favorite food is millet spray and it can be used to teach them to do practically anything. Whether it's jumping through hoops, spinning in place, or even going down a slide, with a little patience and millet, the budgie can perform on par with any parrot! To learn more about the basics of taming and training for parrots and parakeets, click here.



Don't forget that budgies are birds and birds fly! Even a budgie with clipped wings will try to fly away so it is important to use positive reinforcement to make the parakeet want to be around you instead of relying on clipping. Budgies are speedy fliers and require flight to feel secure and healthy. Using a target stick, millet, and some patience, you can teach a budgie to fly to you.



Please do not purchase parakeets for children as pets. The amount of care and responsibility that these birds require to be raised properly are beyond the capabilities of most children. Inevitably the birds don't receive enough interaction and are entirely neglected when the child grows up. Instead, there are plenty of games to simulate the excitement of owning a parrot without the long term responsibility. Just because a budgie is small and cheap should in no way signify that they are suitable pets for children.

There is way too much confusion about what these birds are called. It is really quite simple though so I will state the correct name. It is called a Budgerigar, Budgie for short. It is one of many kinds of parakeets but not specifically called Parakeet. Parakeets include all small long tailed parrots such as conures, cockatiels, and ring necks. Finally, Budgerigars are true parrots and in fact more closely related to a Macaw than a Cockatiel. So there you have it, Budgerigar is the exact species, Parakeet the category, and Parrot the family of these remarkable little birds.

Parakeet

So if you have a budgie, don't value it based on the price you've paid but on its abilities. Don't assume it can't do something cause it's a cheap bird but instead challenge it and you'll be surprised by what it can do. You will realize that you got the best price to capability ratio parrot in existence!

If you don't have a budgerigar but are considering one, please give it the respect it deserves as a parrot and not for its price. Evaluate this species as you would any larger parrot and realize that this is a serious lifelong commitment. They may be small, but they can be similarly difficult like other parrot species. If you do buy one, make sure you spend adequate money on toys, perches, food, vet, and supplies and not treat it any lesser because the bird was cheap. Just consider yourself lucky to get such a deal on such a wonderful pet.

Share this picture and page with everyone you know who owns budgies or parrots so together we could spread awareness and respect for these wonderful little parrots! http://TrainedParrot.com/Parakeet

Part of: Blog Announcements
Budgie Budgerigar Parakeet
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Comments

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laducockatiel

Posted on August 28, 2012 08:21PM

Spot on :thumbsup: its really true, budgies are underrated so much but they are very intelligent birds!

Khadija

Posted on August 28, 2012 09:29PM

I have two Budgies, one Cockatiel, one Peach Faced Lovebird and one Black Capped Conure. My Budgies hold their own in the flock and are very precious and entertaining. Each of these species has different characteristics which makes our little flock quite a lot of fun. One thing I discovered though is that when I only had one Budgie he was always trying to befriend the other guys which they didn't want. Johnny wasn't truly happy until he had a Budgie friend, so I got him Buddy. My other guys don't seem to need a cage companion as they prefer me. Yet Johnny still likes to be with me even though he now has Buddy. The Budgies are in a large flight cage and love it, but they get to roam the house with supervision every day as do the other guys. I am so glad you discussed this problem of the Budgie industry and inadequately trained backyard breeders, because as you mention too many people think because they are little and cheap they don't need to be respected. When I tried to look for a Budgie to get as a friend for Johnny, I searched our local Parrot rescue, Craigs List and want ads hoping to rescue one who needed to be re-homed, but no Budgie was available at any age! I then bought a baby from a clean, well organized small local pet shop, but no one asked me any questions or wanted to know if I knew what to do or feed etc. It's so sad that because they are so small and easily dominated that those that are neglected just waste away and die young in their owners cage instead of being given up to a rescue organization :( But, if you own one and interact with it and meet its needs, you will be more than entertained and loved. My flock have a Godfather that will take them if I pass over the rainbow bridge before them. Bigger is not better....it's just different (and maybe a little more intimidating or messy depending on the circumstances). Have a tweet day, Khadija & :greycockatiel: Tino :swaying: Tootie :gcc: Gertie :budgie: Johnny :budgie: Buddy


liz

Posted on August 29, 2012 01:00AM

My father had Hodgkins Liphoma. Toward the end he basically sat in his recliner and watched TV. I bought 2 budgies. This is back in 1980 and I really did not know much about them and did not even work with them. My father talked to them all the time. They made all kinds of noises to him. One day he was ignoring them to watch TV and one threw a sunflower seed at him. Of course that got his attention. From then on he was the goaly and they threw their hocky puck sunflower seeds at him. It always made him laugh.

pennyandrocky

Posted on August 29, 2012 09:54AM

the :budgie: i had was a great companion for my :amazon: who mourned when he passed.they had alot of fun flying around together i had no idea my :amazon: would enjoy having another bird around until this little guy was dumped off at my house.too many times i've seen ads for people wanting to get rid of them to "upgrade"to a larger parrot.


cml

Posted on August 31, 2012 01:37PM

Very well said Michael, budgies seem to be awesome parrots ! Along with parrolets its definately a species I would consider doing a rescue of if I had the space available. Smaller parrots are worth as much as big, and deserve as much care and love. Its very unfortunate that so many of them end up "thrown away" :(.


Zooey

Posted on August 31, 2012 09:31PM

Completely right. So true. I have yelled at people who thought that budgies were 'just a parakeet'. I told them I had budgies, and they said "What?" "Budgie." "What?" "A type of parakeet." "Oh, just a parakeet." And that's when I start scaring them off. I love this post, I'm sharing it with my friends.

Perrytheparrot

Posted on September 12, 2012 08:45PM

agreed :swaying:


ishael

Posted on September 19, 2012 05:27PM

My first pet (when I was about 7), which was a budgie, was so attached to me I didn't really have to teach it to fly to me, if I left the room and he was out, the next thing I knew was that he was on my head or shoulder. They really are wonderfully intelligent birds, great for your money's worth, and incredibly misunderstood. There are very few animals on this planet that are 'dumb', the majority, i would say, are trainable in their own way (which doesn't mean they should/need to be trained) and very intelligent. We tend to think of animals intelligence by their size or beauty. An African grey would get a lot of respect because they are large and striking and have a very intense way about them, but a budgie who is little and cute and charming is seen as dumb and expendable in some cases. Its the same with dog behaviour (my speciality!); we humanize the dogs that are little and cute and don't see them as dogs with dog's needs, but large dogs are mostly thought of as dogs who either, depending on the person viewing, are aggressive and smelly or beautiful and intelligent and need to be exercised, disciplined, etc. People have a very distorted way of viewing animals.

Pricey_boy

Posted on November 21, 2012 12:53PM

To a lot of people who don't know how amazing birds are all birds are underrated A lot of people keep birds like galahs, budgies, and other small parrots for decorations

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Trained Parrot is a blog about how to train tricks to all parrots and parakeets. Read about how I teach tricks to Truman the Brown Necked Cape Parrot including flight recall, shake, wave, nod, turn around, fetch, wings, and play dead. Learn how you can train tricks to your Parrot, Parrotlet, Parakeet, Lovebird, Cockatiel, Conure, African Grey, Amazon, Cockatoo or Macaw. This blog is better than books or DVDs because the information is real, live, and completely free of charge. If you want to know how to teach your parrot tricks then you will enjoy this free parrot training tutorial.
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