Get to Know Parakeets - or "Budgies"

Series Summary

Parakeets, also known as budgies, are small parrots native to Australia. They average about seven to eight inches in length and are usually bright green or yellow in color. In this free pet care series, you will learn everything you need to know to be the perfect parakeet owner. As pets, they are easy to care for, especially when compared to the food demands of larger pets such as cats and dogs. All you need is a cage and birdseed, right? While this is true to a certain extent, there are specific requirements for a parakeet cage. And if you want your bird to stay happy, you need to provide them with nesting material and playthings such as mirrors, bells, wooden blocks and ladders. You also need to feed them right, which means including plenty of calcium in their diets. Not sure how to go about breeding your pet bird? Our expert answers this and any other questions you may have about your pet bird.

Video Transcript

"On behalf of Expert Village, my name is Laura and I am here to talk to you about bugees. Bugees are small parrots that are native to Australia. They have been imported to the United States for about the last 50 years. They are commonly called parakeets in the United States. A typical bugee is between 7 and 8 inches long including his tail feathers. They have very pointed wings and they have a long pointed beak. In the United States, what we call a parakeet or a bugee, is not really a true parakeet. A true parakeet are part of the parrot family and they average in height anywhere from 8 to 12 inches tall and they have very long tail feathers. A true parakeet weighs on average about 5 pounds. A bugee on the other hand only weighs about 6 ounces. The bugee's that you see here are adolescent bugees. You can tell by the top of their beaks. Male bugees will have a bright blue streak across the top of their beak and female bugees will have a sharp brown street across the top of their beak. These bugees have not developed a color on top of their beaks yet. That is how you know they are juveniles. "