MELOPSITTACUS UNDULATUS, THE PSITTACULIDAE FAMILY

Today, The Grandma has been reading about budgies, this species so wonderful that conquers your heart and your soul immediately, and becomes a great companion.

The budgerigar, Melopsittacus undulatus, also known as the common parakeet or shell parakeet, is a small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrot usually nicknamed the budgie or in American English, the parakeet.

Budgies are the only species in the genus Melopsittacus. Naturally, the species is green and yellow with black, scalloped markings on the nape, back, and wings.

Budgies are bred in captivity with colouring of blues, whites, yellows, greys, and even with small crests. Juveniles and chicks are monomorphic, while adults are told apart by their cere colouring, and their behaviour.

The species is the only member of the genus Melopsittacus, which is the only genus in the Melopsittacini tribe.

The origin of the budgerigar's name is unclear. First recorded in 1805, budgerigars are popular pets around the world due to their small size, low cost, and ability to mimic human speech. They are likely the third most popular pet in the world, after the domesticated dog and cat.

Budgies are nomadic flock parakeets that have been bred in captivity since the 19th century. In both captivity and the wild, budgerigars breed opportunistically and in pairs.

More information: A-Z Animals

They are found wild throughout the drier parts of Australia, where they have survived harsh inland conditions for over five million years. Their success can be attributed to a nomadic lifestyle and their ability to breed while on the move. The budgerigar is closely related to lories and the fig parrots.

Several possible origins for the name budgerigar have been proposed. First, budgerigar may be a mispronunciation or alteration of the Gamilaraay word gidjirrigaa or gijirragaa from the Yuwaalaraay. Second, budgerigar might be a modified form of budgery or boojery (Australian English slang for good) and gar (cockatoo). While many references mention good as part of the meaning, and a few specify good bird, it is quite possible that reports by those local to the region are more accurate in specifying the direct translation as good food.

Alternative spellings include budgerygah and betcherrygah, the latter used by indigenous people of the Liverpool Plains in New South Wales.

Alternative names for the budgerigar include the shell parrot or shell parakeet, the warbling grass parakeet, the canary parrot, the zebra parrot, the flight bird, and the scallop parrot. Although more often used as a common name for small parrots in the genus Agapornis, the name lovebird has been used for budgerigars, because of their habit of close perching and mutual preening, and their long term pair-bonds.

More information: Psittacology

The very idea of a bird is a symbol and a suggestion to the poet.
A bird seems to be at the top of the scale,
so vehement and intense is his life,
large-brained, large-lunged, hot, ecstatic,
his frame charged with buoyancy and his heart with song.

John Burroughs