Budgerigar

The Budgerigar is a small, slender parrot native to the arid interior of Australia. In its natural wild-type coloring, it shows a bright yellow face and forehead, a light green body, and a back and wings finely scalloped in black-and-yellow barring that provides excellent camouflage against dry grass. A row of small black spots crosses the throat, and the long, tapering tail is deep blue-green.

Wild Budgerigars are highly nomadic, following rainfall and the resulting flush of seeding grasses across the vast Australian outback, and they form flocks that can number from dozens to many thousands of birds when conditions are favorable. The species is also the ancestor of the many color varieties bred worldwide, but the natural wild form remains green and yellow.

Key field marks

• Bright yellow face and forehead with a row of small black throat spots
• Light green body plumage
• Black-and-yellow scalloped pattern across the back and wings
• Long, tapering blue-green tail
• Small size and fast, direct flight in tight flocks

Similar species

• No other Australian parrot shares the Budgerigar's combination of small size, scalloped back pattern, and bright yellow face; its flocking behavior and habitat also help distinguish it from similar-sized finches at a distance.

Habitat

Inhabits open grasslands, scrublands, and dry woodlands across the arid and semi-arid interior of Australia, often near water sources.

Range

Endemic to mainland Australia, found widely across the continent's interior.

Migration

Highly nomadic rather than strictly migratory, moving unpredictably across the landscape in response to rainfall and the availability of seeding grasses.

Behavior

Highly social and gregarious, forming large, fast-flying flocks that move together in search of food and water; flocks can grow enormously after good rains trigger widespread grass seeding.

Voice

A constant, chattering warble and a range of soft contact calls kept up within flocks.

Feeding

Feeds almost entirely on grass seeds, foraging on the ground and among seeding grass stems, often in large groups.

Nesting

Nests in tree hollows, often in loose colonies when food is abundant; lays 4-8 white eggs.