Skip to Main Content

Nature Atlas

How Nature Works

Sign In

Text size

100%

Theme

Switch Atlas

Interactive AtlasThe Family Home

The Inner World

The Civil World

The Natural World

Specy

Budgerigar

Birds

The budgerigar is a small, slender parrot native to the dry interior of Australia, where wild birds are typically green and yellow with fine black scalloping on the back and wings, quite different from the many bright colors bred in captivity. It is highly nomadic in the wild, forming huge flocks that travel long distances across the arid outback in search of seeding grasses and water, breeding opportunistically whenever conditions turn favorable rather than on a fixed seasonal schedule. Budgerigars feed mainly on grass and other plant seeds, and their fast, undulating flight and constant chattering calls make large flocks conspicuous and noisy. Selectively bred in captivity since the nineteenth century, the species has become one of the most popular pet birds in the world, valued for its intelligence, ability to mimic sounds and wide range of color mutations. Wild populations remain abundant across their native range, fluctuating with rainfall and food availability from year to year.

Facts

Classification

Diet

Herbivore 2

System (Realm)

Terrestrial 3

Relationship to Peoplethe subject's own account

Kept as Pets 1

Living or Extinct

Yes 1

the subject's own accountDerived from this species' own Conservation Status: this atlas's IUCN category list has no Extinct value, so a set conservation-status is itself evidence of living status.

Scientific Namethe subject's own account

Melopsittacus undulatus 1

Conservation Statusthe subject's own account

Least Concern 1

Body Size Band

Small 6

Activity Pattern

Diurnal 6

Lifespan

21 7

Identification

Distinguishing Appearancethe subject's own account

Wild budgerigars average 18 cm long, weigh 30-40 g, 30 cm in wingspan, and display a light green body colour, while their mantles display pitch-black mantle markings (blackish in fledglings and immatures) edged in clear yellow undulations. The forehead and face is yellow in adults. 1

Comparison

NatureServe Rank

G5 Secure 4

CITES Appendix

Not Listed 5

Connections

Child Taxon Of

Source Catalogue of Life

In Biome

Source Budgerigar (Wikipedia)

Xeric Shrubland

Source Budgerigar (Wikipedia)

In the Other Atlases

Found In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

United Arab Emirates

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources

1. Budgerigar (Wikipedia)

Wikipedia

Lead sentence, binomial name in parentheses
Melopsittacus undulatus
Description section, size and colour paragraph
Wild budgerigars average 18 cm long, weigh 30-40 g, 30 cm in wingspan, and display a light green body colour, while their mantles display pitch-black mantle markings (blackish in fledglings and immatures) edged in clear yellow undulations. The forehead and face is yellow in adults.
Infobox status field, IUCN assessment Melopsittacus undulatus, BirdLife International 2018, e.T22685223A132056957
system (entity description states it plainly, relationship to people)
Selectively bred in captivity since the nineteenth century, the species has become one of the most popular pet birds in the world, valued for its intelligence, ability to mimic sounds and wide range of color mutations.
In Biome: Grassland, Ecology
Budgerigars are found in open habitats, primarily in scrublands, open woodlands, and grasslands of Australia.
In Biome: Xeric Shrubland, Ecology
Budgerigars are found in open habitats, primarily in scrublands, open woodlands, and grasslands of Australia.

View the Source

2. EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014)

Diet: Herbivore

3. GBIF Species API

GBIF Species API

System (Realm): Terrestrial

View the Source

4. NatureServe Explorer: Melopsittacus undulatus

NatureServe ExplorerGlobal rank (roundedGRank)

Quote, Global rank (roundedGRank)

"roundedGRank": "G5"

View the Source

5. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Melopsittacus undulatus (Animal Diversity Web)

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyConservation Status: CITES

Quote, Conservation Status: CITES

CITES No special status

View the Source

6. Ecological Society of America, Ecological Archives E095-178 (Wilman et al. 2014): EltonTraits 1.0 bird functional traits (BirdFuncDat)

Ecological Society of America, Ecological Archives E095-178 (Wilman et al. 2014)

Row: melopsittacus undulatus
2089 Nonpasseriformes Psittaciformes Psittacidae Parrots 68 BL3 Melopsittacus undulatus Budgerigar 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 0 PlantSeed Ref_4 A Carolina 0 0 60 40 0 0 0 0 Ref_4 1 Jessica 0 28.99 Dunning08 1
BirdFuncDat.txt row Melopsittacus undulatus, Nocturnal column
Melopsittacus undulatus Budgerigar 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 0 PlantSeed Ref_4 A Carolina 0 0 60 40 0 0 0 0 Ref_4 1 Jessica 0

View the Source

7. Human Ageing Genomic Resources, University of Liverpool: AnAge entry for Melopsittacus undulatus

Human Ageing Genomic Resources, University of LiverpoolLifespan, ageing, and relevant traits

Quote, Lifespan, ageing, and relevant traits

Maximum longevity 21 years (captivity)

View the Source

Wikidata: Budgerigar

Wikidata Q121221, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source

Catalogue of Life

Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of LifeChild Taxon Of: PsittaciformesView the Source

Comments (0)

No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.

Reader Challenges (0)

No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.