If you’ve ever come across material on parakeets that claimed they were distinct from budgies (also known as budgerigars), it was untrue. These two are, in reality, interchangeable. Budgies are all parakeets.
They have two names since they are commonly referred to as parakeets in the United States and other parts of North America.
Parakeets are known by several names in different nations. In French, for example, they are referred to as ‘perruches.’
However, throughout the rest of the English-speaking world, the term “budgie” is more commonly used. These pet birds are still known as budgerigars in Australia, for example.
Confused? Don’t worry, we’ll go through all of the distinctions between the two and explain where the misconception stems from in this post. Let’s get this party started!
Names and Their Origins
The parakeet is simply classified as a “budgerigar” with the scientific name Melopsittacus undulatus in Joseph M. Forshaw’s book, Parrots of the World. This is the same scientific name given to the parakeet in Latin. As a result, they are of the same species.
There are various hypotheses as to how these birds earned the moniker “Budgie,” which is short for their proper name “Budgerigar.” One reason is that it is derived from the Australian slang term “budgery.”
Budgies
The budgie (short for budgerigar) is an Australian parrot species. The budgie is a highly clever bird that can learn to mimic human speech. The species is extremely gregarious in the wild, creating flocks of hundreds of birds that feed and move together. The budgie is also known as the shell parakeet in American English.
Budgies have evolved to some of Australia’s harshest environments, which frequently undergo drought and extreme heat. As a result, budgie flocks are always on the move. For generations, Aboriginal Australians employed birds to cross the hard terrain and locate fresh sources of food and water.
Budgie parakeets are green with yellow markings, with black stripes and patterns, and dark blue-green-black flight and tail feathers in the wild.
Captive breeding efforts, on the other hand, have produced Budgies in practically every hue of the rainbow, with the exception of red and pink. They’re so bright and vibrant that they remind me of jellybeans!
All captive budgerigars are classified into two color families:
- White-based (skyblue, cobalt, mauve, gray, violet, and white)
- Yellow-based (includes light-green, dark-green, gray-green, olive, and yellow).
Green (with a yellow basis) is dominant, whereas blue (with a white base) is recessive. The budgerigar has at least 32 main mutations, allowing for hundreds of secondary mutations and color variations!
Budgies are a species of parakeet that is exceptionally tiny and naturally green in the wild.
While parakeets exist in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors, budgies are often divided into two breeds:
the original breed from Australia
and the English form that was created for domestic living.
The fundamental distinctions between these categories are, in general, as follows:
- English budgies are a few of inches greater in length.
- Because English budgies have bigger heads, the proportions are off.
- The English breed’s feathers are puffier around the head.
- Color variation is rare since all natural budgies are green, therefore other colors are often the result of years of breeding.
So, all Budgies are Parakeets, but not all Parakeets are Budgies, because the Parakeet family has many diverse species. Having said that, the two are identical in character and demeanor, with the main differences being size and color. They are both incredibly clever, sociable, and friendly birds that make excellent pets, and either is an excellent choice for the beginning bird enthusiast!
Definition of parakeet
A parakeet might be a little budgerigar or a bigger species that lives for a longer period of time and is used to a different climate. As a taxonomic group, the parakeet is comprised of several hundreds of birds, many of which dwell in radically different locations throughout the world.
Parakeets have long tails and are usually smaller than bigger parrots like cockatoos or amazons. They are quite bright and energetic, and many of them are simple to educate, so they may be trained to imitate human speech or certain noises in their environment.
Other parrots identified as parakeets include the mustache parakeet, grass parakeet, Monk parakeet (also known as the Quaker Parrot), and Indian Ring-necked Parakeet. All of these types of parakeets are actually tiny parrots with lengthy tail feathers.
Parakeets are members of the parrot family. In terms of aesthetics, they often have tapered and long tail feathers and a less stocky body than bigger parrots.
Budgies are the most common and popular variety of parakeet, and they are so popular in families all over the world because they are low-maintenance pet birds.
Larger types of parakeets exist, and they come in a variety of vivid colors and have unique and eye-catching body traits, yet even among them, some, such as redrump parakeets, are less usually maintained as pet birds.
Why Are Budgies Called Parakeets?
Parakeets are described as budgerigars in Joseph M. Forshaw’s book Parrots of the Wild, which is the full name for the abbreviated budgie word.
Furthermore, the conventional budgie and parakeet names are interchangeable because both come under the latin term Melopsittacus undulatus.
Outside of the United States, these little parrots are commonly referred to as budgies, as they have been for many years. When you consider that budgerigar is the complete name, budgie being an abbreviated form of that is only logical because it slides off the tongue effortlessly.
It is thought that the term “parakeet” was derived from the French word perroquet, which immediately translates to “parrot.” Obviously, the French phrase is spelled differently from how we currently speak parakeet, but the influence is undeniable.
Perruche is the name given to parakeets in France and other French-speaking nations.
When it comes to how budgies gained their name, it’s thought that the Australian slang term ‘budgery’ played a role.
Because the full name for these colorful, long-tailed parrots is Budgerigar, and the latin term is also a tongue twister, referring to these small parrots as budgies has kept around. It makes a lot of sense, at least in my perspective, and it effortlessly flows off the tongue.
Are All of the Parakeet’s Budgies?
No, all parakeets are not budgies, although all budgies are parakeets. Budgie is a phrase that can refer to either a conventional budgie (also known as a parakeet) or an English budgie.
The term parakeet can also refer to a variety of different species that belong to the parakeet family. Among them are the following:
Rose-ringed parakeets, monk parakeets, plain parakeets, barred parakeets, and more species
Budgerigars are essentially what most people refer to as common parakeets, yet many parakeets are very different from the usual budgie. The subfamily Psittacidae (family Psittacidae) has 115 species in 30 genera, all of which have a thin physique and long, tapering tail feathers.
Conclusion: What Is the Distinction? Parakeet vs. Budgie
Budgies and Parakeets are fundamentally the same animal, however a Budgie is simply one of hundreds of Parakeet species found across the world. The misconception stems from the name: in the United States, they are known as Parakeets, while the rest of the globe refers to them as Budgies.
So, all Budgies are Parakeets, but not all Parakeets are Budgies, because the Parakeet family has many diverse species. Having said that, the two are identical in character and demeanor, with the main differences being size and color. They are both incredibly clever, sociable, and friendly birds that make excellent pets, and either is an excellent choice for the beginning bird enthusiast!
jay
I am not an expert, just passionate. I own a Parakeet and I have been in your shoes. If you are currently looking for information, I've done the research and that is the reason why I created this website.