parakeet Archives - The Budgie Academy

Your Guide to Budgie Colors: What Color is Your Budgie?

Isabel Frabotta — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 17:29:44 +0000

What Color Variants Exist In Budgies?

In this article we’ll go over all the mutations listed below, along with photos to help you compare and contrast to your own birds. If you’d like to learn about a specific mutation, click on it in the table of contents to jump directly to that section.

Coloration Mutations

Yellow or White Base Color

Nearly all budgies are either yellow-base or white-base. Yellow-base birds (as you may have guessed) have yellow pigment in their feathers resulting in yellow coloration. White-base birds lack this pigment, resulting in a white appearance.

Yellow-base budgies can be all yellow, and white-base budgies can be all white–these varieties result from mutations such as the lutino and albino mutations and will be covered later in this guide. But more commonly, yellow-base birds are a combination of green and yellow, and white-base birds are a combination of blue and white.

This is because most budgies have structural blue color in their body feathers. Unlike yellow color which arises from pigments (tiny colored molecules), the color blue in budgies arises from the way light reflects off the feather’s microscopic structure. When structural blue mixes with pigment yellow, we get green–hence why yellow-base birds are typically yellow and green.

White-base is a recessive trait, meaning that a bird would need two copies of the allele to actually end up being white-based. As long as a budgie has even one copy of the dominant yellow-base allele, they will appear yellow-based. For a more detailed explanation of how yellow- or white-base coloration is inherited, check out our Punnett squares article.

Dark Factor

In addition to being yellow- or white-base, budgies can also be classified as having “no dark factor, one dark factor, or two dark factors”. The dark factor, as its name suggests, adds a degree of darkness to a budgie’s body feathers. Per the World Budgerigar Organization (2), specific dark factor varieties have the following names:

Yellow-base with NO dark factor: Light Green (Pantone 375)
Yellow-base with ONE dark factor: Dark Green (Pantone 369)
Yellow-base with TWO dark factors: Olive Green (Pantone 371)
White-base with NO dark factor: Skyblue (Pantone 310)
White-base with ONE dark factor: Cobalt (Pantone 2915)
White-base with TWO dark factors: Mauve (Pantone 535)

Budgies lacking structural blue body feathers (i.e. lutino and albino varieties) can have no dark factors, one dark factor, or two dark factors, just like any other budgie. But visually, it makes no difference! The phenotype (physical appearance) of an albino or lutino bird is not impacted by the number of dark factors they have.

Violet Factor

Just as dark factor adds a degree of darkness, violet factor adds a degree of violet color to a budgie’s feathers. However, this color can be very faint, so telling whether your budgie has any violet factor can be tricky. Generally, violet factor is only prominently visible on Skyblue (white-base with no dark factor) and Cobalt (white-base with one dark factor) budgies.

Skyblue with ONE violet factor: These birds often have visible violet feathers only near the feet and/or vent. Otherwise, they are slightly darker than a typical (no violet factor) Skyblue bird.
Skyblue with TWO violet factors: These birds have visible violet color and look much like Cobalt birds with violet factor. They can sometimes be distinguished from their Cobalt counterparts by the presence of turquoise color near the base of their tails.
Cobalt with ONE or TWO violet factors: It’s hard to distinguish whether a Cobalt has one or two violet factors, as both varieties appear visibly violet.

Violet coloration is extremely hard to detect in birds with two dark factors (mauve and olive green) and isn’t very visible in yellow-base birds at all, regardless of dark factor. If a yellow-base budgie has any violet factors, this typically results in a slight darkening of their green body feathers, and they may have a dark or violet tint to their feet. This coloration can be faint and easily missed.

Grey Factor

Grey factor adds grey color to a budgie’s plumage. However, grey factor is easier to identify than violet factor. It doesn’t matter whether a bird has one or two grey factors; both varieties will end up with a grey tinge to their body feathers. Yellow-base budgies with grey factor are referred to as Grey Green, and white-base budgies with grey factor are simply known as Grey (2).

Lutino/Albino (Plus Creamino and Lacewing)

Both lutino and albino mutations are the same thing: they erase a bird’s color and pattern aside from its yellow or white base. Yellow-base birds with the mutation appear yellow, much like a canary, and are called “lutino;” white-base birds with the mutation appear white and are called “albino.” Both lutinos and albinos (“inos,” collectively) have red eyes and lack the dark/black feather pattern that non-ino budgies display.

The gene responsible for ino coloring is recessive and sex-linked on the Z-chromosome, meaning it is expressed a bit differently depending on whether a bird is male or female. Because males have two copies of the Z chromosome, they must have two copies of the recessive ino allele to appear ino. However, as females have only one Z chromosome, they require only one copy of the allele to appear ino.

Note: The red eye color can be challenging to photograph due to lighting and red eye reduction software in many phones so sometimes red eyes come out black in photos. However, if you see them in person or photograph or record them in bright light, the red eyes usually are quite clear.

Some budgies can also have other color mutations present in addition to their lutino/albino color. Here are two examples:

Ino birds with the yellowface mutation are often given the endearing name “creamino.” This is not a separate mutation but rather the combination of a yellowface mutation on an albino bird. These birds will have red eyes and yellow on their face or gently spreading to the rest of their body depending the type of yellowface gene they possess.
Ino birds with the cinnamon mutation are called “lacewings” and have light brown (cinnamon colored) feather markings and may have very light violet cheek spots (2).

Yellowface

As mentioned in the Lutino/Albino section, budgies with the yellowface mutation display a mixture of yellow- and white-base colors. The intensity and distribution of the yellow coloration is dependent on two things: what type of yellowface the bird is, and whether the bird has one or two yellowface factors (3).

There are three types of yellowface mutations (look at the intensity of the yellow):

Yellowface Type I: the lightest in color, usually does not affect the body color
Yellowface Type II: slightly darker in color than Type I; yellow color spreads across the body
Goldenface: Most intense yellow of the three yellowface types and strongly affects the body color

The genetics for the yellowface mutation are a bit more complicated than the genetics for mutations like dark and grey factor. Below is a simplified breakdown of the varieties of yellowface mutations, where “one/two factor” refers to the number of copies of the yellowface allele the bird has:

Single Factor

Yellowface I

Does not affect greatly affect body color, leaving body mostly still blue

Yellowface II

Yellow spreads to the rest of the body, resulting in a turquoise color

Goldenface

Dark yellow covers rest of the body resulting in a blue-green color

Double Factor

Yellowface I

This mutation is not visible and budgie appear white-blue

Yellowface II

Yellowface is present but body remains blue in color

Goldenface

Strong yellow face but generally these birds still look mostly blue

Dilute, Greywing, and Clearwing

All of these terms (dilute, greywing, and clearwing) refer to budgies with some part of their color or markings being diluted or “washed out.”

Dilute: Both body color and markings are washed out. Markings appear very faint and all body color is low vibrancy.
Greywing: Body color is washed out, but markings are still visible–they are just grey instead of the usual black.
Clearwing: markings are very washed out (and may not be visible at all), but the body color is unaffected.
Full-body-color greywing: This mutation arises from a combination of greywing and clearwing alleles. Like a greywing, these birds have grey instead of black markings, but like a clearwing, their body color is unaffected (normal vibrancy).

To understand how these traits are inherited, it’s helpful to understand that the greywing, clearwing, dilute, and normal alleles are situated in a kind of dominance hierarchy. The normal (no dilution at all) allele is completely dominant to all dilution alleles. The greywing and clearwing alleles are co-dominant to each other (this is how we can get full-body-color greywings, which are a combination of greywing and clearwing alleles) but completely dominant to the dilute allele. The dilute allele is recessive to every other allele, so even if a bird has one dilute allele, its phenotype will correspond with whatever the other allele is (greywing, clearwing, normal, or a second copy of the dilute allele). A true dilute phenotype only occurs when a bird has two copies of the recessive dilute allele.

Dilute budgies generally have much lighter cheek patches than greywing budgies. These dilutions can be in combination with other mutations as well. FitC, for example, is a yellow-base greywing budgie but because she also has the opaline mutation (which also is a diluting mutation), she comes out much lighter in color than a budgie with only the greywing gene.

Striping Mutations

Opaline

The opaline mutation results in several changes to the distribution of color and patterns across a budgie’s body. Primarily, the dark patterns (barring) on the bird’s head and neck are lighter, there is a region of very faint markings (or none at all!) between the bird’s shoulders, and the body color diffuses into the wings and can form a solid strip down the length of the tail.

Like the ino mutation, the opaline mutation is recessive and sex-linked on the Z-chromosome. Males need two copies of the opaline allele to be visibly opaline, but females need only one copy.

Spangle

Budgies without the spangle mutation typically have black wing feathers with white edges. Budgies with one spangle factor, on the other hand, have wing feathers that match their yellow- or white-base color and have a thin black edge. They may also have fewer throat spots. Budgies with two spangle factors will have no markings or structural blue feathers, appearing wholly white or yellow like ino budgies. However, two factor spangle budgies retain their normal dark-colored eyes that lighten slightly as they age, unlike their pink-eyed ino counterparts.

Cinnamon

The cinnamon mutation turns a budgie’s normally black/dark patterns into a light brown (cinnamon colored) shade.

The cinnamon mutation gene is recessive and sex-linked on the Z-chromosome, so males need two copies of the cinnamon allele to have cinnamon markings while females need only one copy.

Pied Mutations

Dominant Pied

A budgie with a dominant pied mutation will have several areas on their body lacking structural blue color, allowing their yellow- or white-base color to show through. These regions are generally on the abdomen (with the clear area often forming a horizontal band) and the bottom region of the wings.

Single factor dominant pied budgies tend to have a band of white/yellow going across their belly. These budgies also retain the wild type blue/brown cere color as adults.

Double factor dominant pieds have much less body color and will often have a pink male cere rather than the wild type adult blue cere. These birds also generally retain their light colored eye rings.

Both one and two factor dominant pied mutations will have these clear areas, although the areas may be slightly larger in two factor dominant pied birds.

Recessive Pied

Recessive pied budgies have even fewer structural blue feathers, with the only colored regions being small and typically occurring on the rump, lower belly, or between the legs. The rest of the bird’s plumage is clear, meaning it is either yellow or white according the base color of the bird. There may be fewer (or patchy) dark/black markings on the wings, and the recessive pied budgie’s eyes will stay dark their entire lives (they will not lighten with age). Budgies need two recessive pied factors to have a recessive pied phenotype.

Clearflight Pied

With the clearflight pied mutation, a budgie will have clear (yellow or white) flight feathers. They will also have a clear area around the back of their head or nape of their neck (a “thumbprint”). The clearflight pied phenotype looks the same regardless of whether a budgie has one or two clearflight pied factors.

Callie from The Budgie Academy Flock is a great example of a clearflight pied budgie. Based on the light color of her wings and her light blue cheek patches, she also likely also has the greywing mutation. A budgie with only the clearflight pied mutation would have the color intensity of a normal green or blue budgie.

Dark-Eyed Clear

When a budgie has both the recessive pied and clearflight pied mutations, they lose their structural blue color and dark/black patterning, resulting in a bird that is entirely yellow or white depending on their base color. Although this dark-eyed clear bird may look similar to an ino or two factor spangle budgie, they can be distinguished by their dark eyes which do not lighten with age. Comparatively, lutino and albino birds have pink eyes, and two factor spangle birds have dark eyes that lighten with age.

Rare Mutations

Additional interesting and beautiful mutations are still being discovered. Some rare mutations (which we won’t describe in detail) include the crested, fallow, saddleback, Texas clearbody, slate, anthracite, black face, and hagoromo (or Japanese helicopter) mutation. There are also congenital conditions that can result in rare colors and patterns (e.g. the half-sider budgie), but these conditions are not passed down from parent to offspring like traditional mutations and are not intentionally produced through breeding.

Hagoromo / crested budgie

Hagaromo/japanese crested: this mutation originated in Japan and is characterized by the distinctive “crest” of feathers on the head and flower shaped feathers on the back.

You know what color your budgie is... Now what?

We hope this resource has helped you navigate the complex world of budgie color mutations. Research into how specific mutations occur and are inherited is ongoing, and our understanding of color genetics is growing more detailed all the time. If you’re interested in learning more about genetics and the heritability of traits, be sure to check out our article on Punnett squares. Or read our article on wild budgie coloration to learn how and why they differ from their domesticated peers.

Finally, be sure to follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook so you never miss out on new content!

Literature Cited

Bergman, P. The facts about violet budgerigars. Budgerigar Council of Victoria. Available at: http://www.bcv.asn.au/uploads/1/0/3/5/10355325/violets.pdf
Al-Nasser, G. Rare budgerigar varieties, the lacewing. The Al-Nasser Experience. Available at: http://www.al-nasser.co.uk/article10.htm.
Al-Nasser, G. Yellowface blue budgerigars. The Al-Nasser Experience. Available at: http://www.al-nasser.co.uk/article12.htm
Martin, T. A guide to colour mutations and genetics in parrots ebook. (ABK Publications, 2002).
Tuxford, T. Color Standards. Available at https://www.world-budgerigar.org/colourstds.htm

Written by Isabel Frabotta

Isabel holds a B.S. in Animal Science from Cornell University, where she studied physiology, nutrition, endocrinology and genetics. She is a writer and graphic designer who uses both to improve education around animal welfare and care.

Edited by Dr. Amy Zhao, PhD.

The post Your Guide to Budgie Colors: What Color is Your Budgie? appeared first on The Budgie Academy.

Why You Should Weigh Your Budgie

Isabel Frabotta — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 16:00:00 +0000

This post may contain affiliate links, which means The Budgie Academy may receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.

Weighing your budgie regularly is a quick, easy, stress-free, and non-invasive way to monitor your budgie’s health status at home. When performed properly, there are a couple key health insights you can glean from a simple weigh-in routine.

Why should I weigh my budgie?

Changes in a budgie’s weight can indicate health conditions that may not be visible to the naked eye.

Birds are experts at hiding illnesses. Although this may help wild budgies avoid looking weak to predators, hidden ailments can prove dangerous in our home aviaries. Even with careful obseration, it’s not always possible to tell when a budgie is sick from looks alone.

This is where weighing comes in handy. A bird that is feeling under the weather may experience decreased appetite and subsequent weight loss. If you are weighing your budgie regularly, this weight loss should be a red flag alerting you to contact your avian vet.

A budgie’s weight can also give you insight into their reproductive status. A budgie coming into breeding mode will gain weight in their reproductive tract, along with exhibiting other courting, nesting, and mating behaviors.

Let’s use flock member FitC as an example. She usually weighs 34-35g in the fall and winter, but in the spring and summer breeding season, she weighs 37g. If she’s actively forming an egg, her weight will rapidly increase up to 39-40g. And if she hits 40-41g, we can reliably predict that she will lay an egg within 12-24 hours.

How do I weigh my budgie?

A combination of consistency and positive reinforcement is crucial for developing a weigh-in routine.

Ideally, you should weigh your budgie at a similar time every day (e.g., in the morning before breakfast). This will help reduce minor fluctuations due to food and water weight.

Additionally, with consistent, positive reinforcement, you can teach your budgie to step onto the scale as a trick. This will ensure the weighing process is as quick and stress-free as possible. If you’re new to weighing your budgie, these scales are a great starting point.

Wrapping up...

Weighing your budgie is a simple way to keep an eye on their health. To learn more about the importance of routine veterinary care, check out our article on wellness exams. And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook so you never miss out on new posts!

Written by Isabel Frabotta

Edited by Dr. Amy Zhao, PhD.

The post Why You Should Weigh Your Budgie appeared first on The Budgie Academy.

Should I Add a Nest Box for my Budgies?

Dr. Amy Zhao — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 15:00:00 +0000

This post may contain affiliate links, which means The Budgie Academy may receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.

What is a nest box?

Budgies are cavity nesters so rather than building nests from sticks and other debris, they find existing tree hollows which they scrape out to nest in. In captivity, nest boxes are wood or plastic boxes with a small hole that resembles a nesting cavity and is used for breeding budgies. Remember, budgies are highly nomadic seasonal breeders, meaning that they are constantly on the move in search of food and only settle down to breed during the short period when rain is abundant and food is plentiful. This is typically a short window of a few weeks and once the food and water is gone, the budgies move on.

Do Budgies Need a Nestbox?

Generally, no.

Do you need to add a nest box for your budgies? In general, the answer is no. This rule also applies to all enclosed spaces like snuggle huts, fuzzy tents, coconut huts, and any toys that can be hollowed out to form a nest-like cavity. Budgies only use nest boxes during the breeding season and sleep out on perches at all other times. In fact, improperly adding nest boxes can actually lead health dangers for your female budgies.

Nest Boxes Can Hurt Your Budgies!

Several different factors determine whether or not a female budgie decides to be receptive to mating with a male partner or to lay eggs. Length of daylight, presence of a mate, stable availability of food and water, vocalization by neighboring mating pairs, presence of “rain” and availability of a nesting site all play major roles.

Because of this, a typical pet budgie should not have a nest box or any other enclosed space (snuggle huts, fuzzy tents, coconut huts) installed in their cage year round because it can trigger the unwanted activation of their reproduction pathways and hormonal behaviors. In female budgies, this means it could trigger their bodies to start producing and laying eggs which have many health implications. Females can also fight over these nesting sites vigorously if there is only one and multiple individuals are interested in the box.

When should I add a nest box?

There are only two reasons to add a nest box for budgies–(1) Breeding by professionals or (2) intentional reproductive management (allowing females to sit on infertile eggs/dummy eggs to stop her further laying). In both cases, boxes are added strategically for only a few weeks at specific times of the year and withdrawn outside of breeding season.

The post Should I Add a Nest Box for my Budgies? appeared first on The Budgie Academy.

Choosing the Perfect Travel Carrier for Your Budgie

Dr. Amy Zhao — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 15:00:00 +0000

This post may contain affiliate links, which means The Budgie Academy may receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.

Aside from their main cage, budgies also need a separate travel cage that is reliable, sturdy, and safe so that we can transport them outside for sunlight, take them to the vet, transport them in the car if necessary. Travel cages and carriers are very different from normal cages. They have specific mechanisms built in so that the cage cannot come apart under its own weight and cannot accidentally slide open. Here is how to choose a great travel cage for your budgies with all of the necessary safety features.

What To Look For First

For budgies, it is CRUCIAL to find a carrier of the right bar spacing of 3/8″-0.5″ and no larger. Incorrect bar spacings could result in a bird squeezing out and flying away.
Travel cages and carriers will have zippers or special locks that hold the door securely in place and cannot be reached from the inside of the cage.
Avoid any cage that has sliding doors with no locking mechanism.
Travel cages should be made of a safe material such as powder-coated wrought iron or plastic/sturdy fabric.

Two Kinds of Travel Cages/Carriers

Once you’ve found some carriers that fit all of the above safety criteria, then think about how you plan to use your travel carrier. Is it for a short trip to the vet or for taking your budgie out for some sun?

There are different ways to classify carriers but one of the easiest way to classify them is by function into filtered and unfiltered travel cages.

Filtered carriers block ultraviolet B (UVB) light from reaching your budgie, meaning they will not be able to receive any of the vitamin D3 benefits from being taken outside in that carrier. These are ideal for colder temperatures because they restrict the air flow more so they will likely make more sense for a short trip to the vet. This also means that they can heat up quickly in warmer temperatures so use with caution!

Unfiltered carriers allow for the light to pass directly through the cage bars and reach the bird, giving them access to UVB for vitamin D3 synthesis. These are ideal for taking your budgie outside to get some wind and sunlight and better to use in warmer temperatures to allow for better airflow.

My Favorite Travel Carriers

Looking for a new carrier for your budgie? Here are a few of my favorites to help you choose!

This is my go-to carrier for taking my budgies on short car trips to the vet. It’s light-weight, easy to carry, and easy to clean. The perch it comes with is a little large for budgies to hang onto while being carried so I recommend wrapping it to give it a bit more grip.

Link: Prevue Pet Products Soft Sided Bird Travel Carrier with Perch Small, Multicolor

This soft-sided parrot carrier is super spacious when used with our smaller parrots like budgies but provides good airflow from the two mesh sides. It might be worth it to change out the perch to a smaller one that is easier to grip. It also has flaps to darken the space to help reduce the stress of transport.

Link: Bird Carrier with Shade Cover

This is my favorite budgie carrier for taking the birds out for some sun. It is pretty heavy duty and therefore it’s not very light but it does have all of the security features I’m looking for in a travel carrier including solid door locks, stainless steel bowls, and a sturdy build that won’t accidentally come apart when you pick it up. It also is one of the few with 1/2″ bar spacing that is safe for budgies.

Link: Prevue Pet Products Travel Carrier for Birds, Black

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Why Are All Wild Budgies Green and Yellow?

Isabel Frabotta — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 15:00:00 +0000

Wild vs. Captive Bred

In the wild, nearly all budgies are green and yellow with black barring. However, our pet budgies come in all shades of blue, green, white, and yellow. So how did these other colors come about? The answer is genetics! By understanding budgie genetics and intentionally pairing birds together, captive breeding has produced budgies in a wide variety of colors starting from the wild type dark green and yellow budgies.

It's All In Their Genes!

There are multiple genes which determine the color of each budgie but all follow a similar dynamic. Let’s walk through some fundamentals together.

The versions of the genes that produce the dark green and yellow base color are “dominant” meaning that even when there is only one copy of that version, it will dictate the color of the bird even when a different version of that gene is present. The blue color and white base is a lack of yellow coloration and this version of the gene is “recessive” meaning it will only dictate the color of the bird if there is no dominant version overriding it. This means if there is even one copy of the yellow color gene in the bird, the bird will be yellow because that version of the gene is dominant. In order to ensure all of the offspring maintain the recessive color, two birds carrying only the recessive coloration need to be paired.

But Why Do We Not See Any?

In the wild, almost all budgies are the standard dark green and yellow, Since this is also the dominant color, the vast majority of budgie chicks will also be this color. Only in the event that a chick does not receive a copy of the dominant gene from a parent will it result in the recessive coloration. The statistical possibility of this is quite low when the majority of the birds are dark green and yellow.

These colorations, unfortunately, are not advantageous for the bird. Because of their different color, they are easier to pick out of the crowd by predators and are subject to increased predation, preventing them from passing on their genes to the next generation.

So Why Are Captive Budgies So Colorful?

In captivity, budgie breeders have been carefully tracking budgie genetics since the mid-1800s when budgies were first brought to Europe. Aviculturists kept careful track of individuals and pairings, mapping out which colorations are dominant and which are recessive so that they could carefully pair birds to maintain and create new color variations and genetic lines.

Because of this strong understanding of budgie genetics and intentional breeding, we are able to produce the wide variety of budgie color variations in captivity, far beyond what would ever naturally occur in the wild.

There’s so much more to budgies than meets the eye, and color is only scratching the surface. For more deep dives on everything budgie–from perches to toys to lifespan–check out our other articles at The Budgie Academy! And don’t forget to follow us on social media to stay in the loop.

References

GrrlScientist. (2007). The physics of structural plumage colours in birds [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://grrlscientist.medium.com/the-physics-of-structural-plumage-colours-in-birds-grrlscientist-6c608a7476c8
Parker, A. R. (2002). Fluorescence of yellow budgerigars. Science, 296(5568), 655. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.296.5568.655b.
Riedler, R., Pesme, C., Druzik, J., Gleeson, M., & Pearlstein, E. (2014). A review of color-producing mechanisms in feathers and their influence on preventive conservation strategies. Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, 53(1), 44-65. https://doi.org/10.1179/1945233013Y.0000000020.

Written by Isabel Frabotta

Edited by Dr. Amy Zhao, PhD.

The post Why Are All Wild Budgies Green and Yellow? appeared first on The Budgie Academy.

How to Pick the Perfect Perches for Your Budgies

Isabel Frabotta — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 15:00:00 +0000

This post may contain affiliate links, which means The Budgie Academy may receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.

Perches are an essential part of every budgie cage and playstand. Choosing the right perch collection impacts more than just your budgie’s foot health–it plays a crucial role in their overall wellbeing! Here are five of our tried-and-true tips for choosing the best perches.

Choose Natural Wood

Natural, non-toxic woods (i.e., not treated with pesticides or other chemicals) are preferred. Some good, easily-accessible choices include manzanita, grapewood, and java wood. Here are a few of our favorites, including enrichment-added options.

Offer a variety of sizes.

In the wild, budgies perch on branches of countless shapes and sizes, allowing their feet to flex in many ways. Offering a variety of differently-sized perches in your budgie’s cage is the best way to imitate a natural environment and ensure your bird is exercising their foot and leg muscles.

Avoid frayed rope

Frayed rope is often marketed as a “preening” item, but cotton or synthetic fiber rope can be ingested and cause impactions in your bird’s digestive tract. If you’d like to learn more about the often-overlooked dangers of ropes and other cage items, check out our article here.

Rotate Your Perches

Budgies tend to sleep on the highest perches for safety and can end up sleeping on the same perch night after night. Rotate and rearrange perches every few weeks so they’re not always sleeping on the same perch. In addition to providing a variety of perches, this will help ensure your bird’s feet don’t become habituated to just one type of surface.

Avoid dowel perches (or use wisely)!

Dowel perches are the round, smooth, simple wood perches that come with almost any cage. The important thing to recognize about these perches is that they have no variation in shape, thickness, or texture. Consequently, a budgie that uses a dowel perch long-term is continuously putting pressure on the same part of their foot for many hours a day, every day. This can lead to pressure sores, foot pain, and other health issues down the road.

But you don’t necessarily need to swear off dowel rods altogether! The key to safe use is exposure time. While your bird shouldn’t be spending hours standing or sleeping on this kind of perch, some limited use for short periods of time will not cause issues. In fact, placing a dowel perpendicularly in the cage (running from back-to-front, rather than side-to-side) may be a helpful, temporary way of assisting a fearful budgie to approach the front of their cage.

If you’d like to learn more about how short-term dowel use may be beneficial during training, check out this video to hear how Amy used dowel perches to increase TritC’s mobility and confidence.

To sum it all up...

Variety is the spice of life, and a variety of perches can help keep your budgie’s feet in good condition. Providing different types of perches made from safe materials (e.g., natural wood that hasn’t been chemically-treated) is key in preventing pressure sores and foot pain. And while dowel perches shouldn’t be a long-term choice, careful short-term use may be helpful in increasing mobility and reducing fear.

Perches are just the beginning. There’s so much more to learn about your budgie! From toys to basic biology, check out our other posts on The Budgie Academy, and don’t forget to connect with us on social media!

Written by Isabel Frabotta

Edited by Dr. Amy Zhao, PhD.

The post How to Pick the Perfect Perches for Your Budgies appeared first on The Budgie Academy.

Are Budgies Parrots, Parakeets, or Both?

Isabel Frabotta — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 15:00:00 +0000

A Common Point of Confusion

You may have heard people refer to budgies as parrots, parakeets, or both. Is one term better or more accurate than the other? To answer this question, we first have to understand what “parrot” really means.

Parrot: A scientific definition

Scientists classify animals according to a system called Linnaean taxonomy, named after the zoologist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778). In this taxonomy, there is a seven-tiered hierarchy of classification. From largest to smallest, these tiers are kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. Animals are grouped in these categories according to their evolutionary relationships and physical characteristics.

All birds are grouped together in the class Aves. This class is broken down into multiple orders, one of which is Psittaciformes. All birds within order Psittaciformes are parrots! They have several defining characteristics, like curved beaks and zygodactyl feet (two toes pointing backwards, two pointing forward).

Where Do Budgies Come In?

The order Psittaciforme is broken down even further into three superfamilies. These are:

1.) Strigopoidea (the New Zealand parrots, including the kakapo and kea),

2.) Cacatuoidea (including the cockatoos and cockatiels),

3.) and Psittacoidea (macaws, conures, budgerigars, and many more).

Psittacoidea is by far the largest superfamily within order Psittaciforme. Of the roughly 400 species of parrots, over 350 fall within this superfamily.

Because budgerigars (A.K.A. budgies) fall within the order Psittaciforme, and so you can confidently tell your friends that your beloved pet budgies are parrots. To get even more specific, budgies are classified as having the genus Melopsittacus and species Undulatus. “Melo” is from the word “melodious”. “Psittacus” refers to their status as part of the parrot or “psittacine” classification. “Undulatus” is from the word “undulating”.

Parrot vs Parakeet

Finally, what does parakeet mean? It’s actually not a taxonomic term, but rather an umbrella term that refers to a subset of parrots with the same general features: small, slender bodies and long tails. Besides budgies, other types of parakeets include conures and Indian ring-necked parakeets. So budgies are a type of parakeet and parakeets are a subtype of parrot.

To sum it all up, budgies are a type of parakeet and all parakeets are parrots. Although parakeet is a slightly less formal, more specific term. To remember how everything relates, it may help to use this drink metaphor: if “parrot” is equivalent to “beverage” (a broad, inclusive term), then “parakeet” is like “soda” (more specific) and “budgie” is like “Coca-Cola” (the most specific).

Now you know how budgies, parrots, and parakeets are all related. But there’s so much more to learn! Be sure to check out our other articles on The Budgie Academy website, and follow us on social media to stay up-to-date on everything budgie.

Literature Cited

Joseph, Leo, et al. “A Revised Nomenclature and Classification for Family-Group Taxa of Parrots (Psittaciformes).” Zootaxa, vol. 3205, no. 1, 2012, p. 26., https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3205.1.2.

Written by Isabel Frabotta

Edited by Dr. Amy Zhao, PhD.

The post Are Budgies Parrots, Parakeets, or Both? appeared first on The Budgie Academy.