Budgerigar
Melopsittacus undulatus (Shaw, 1805)
The budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus), also called the Budgie, is a small bird in the parrot subgroup, belonging to the family Psittaculidae and order Psittaciformes. It is a granivore at the herbivore trophic level, lives in woodland, has a generalist foraging lifestyle and is partially migratory.
Quick facts about the budgerigar
Adults weigh 28.99 g, with reported values from 28.8 to 29.3 g, and the species has a lifespan of 21 years. Checklists record it in Australia, its geographic range covers 5,880,000 km², and it is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, which is not a threatened category.
- Weight
- 29 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 21 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Granivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- seedssrc for Main food
- Habitat
- woodlandsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 18 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 5src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 5.91 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Lifestyle
- Generalistsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Partialsrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- 1 countrysrc for Countries on record
Photos of the budgerigar
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the budgerigar live?
Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.
The budgerigar is listed for 1 country.
- Listed
- Not listed
The same countries as a list
Listed by: ITIS (scope: global), through the Catalogue of Life.
What is the budgerigar?
The budgerigar ( BUJ-ər-ih-gar, -ə-ree-; Melopsittacus undulatus), also known as the common parakeet, shell parakeet or budgie ( BUJ-ee), is a small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrot native to Australia. 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 (the sexes are visually indistinguishable), while adults are told apart by their cere colouring and their behaviour.
The species is monotypic, meaning it is the only member of the genus Melopsittacus, which is the only genus in the tribe Melopsittacini.
The budgerigar is closely related to lories and the fig parrots.
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 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 the wild and in captivity, budgerigars breed opportunistically and in pairs.
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.
From the Wikipedia article “Budgerigar” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Budgerigar&oldid=1384999323), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the budgerigar endangered?
The budgerigar is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the budgerigar classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPsittaciformes
- familyPsittaculidae
- genusMelopsittacus
- SpeciesMelopsittacus undulatus (Shaw, 1805)
Synonyms Melopsittacus undulatus intermedius, Melopsittacus undulatus pallidiceps, Psittacus undulatus
Other names and names in other languages (68)
- BetcherrygahEnglish
- BudgieEnglish
- Bush budgieEnglish
- Common parakeetEnglish
- Common pet parakeetEnglish
- Grass-parakeetEnglish
- Warbling grass parakeetEnglish
- BudjieAfrikaans
- درةArabic
- البُدجَريقَةArabic
- الدرّةArabic
- الغَنُّوجArabic
- بدجريقةArabic
- الطائر الطيّبArabic
- PeriquetAragonese
- periquituAsturian
- WönsittichBavarian
- Хвалісты папугайBelarusian
- Вълнист папагалBulgarian
- বাজরিগরBangla
- PeriquitoCatalan
- periquito comúCatalan
- andulka vlnkovanáCzech
- papoušek vlnkovanýCzech
- byjerigarWelsh
- UndulatDanish
- WellensittichGerman
- ΠαπαγαλάκιGreek
- Παπαγάλος ΑυστραλίαςGreek
- Παπαγαλάκι ΜπάτζιGreek
- onda papagoEsperanto
- OndopapagetoEsperanto
- Periquito comúnSpanish
- Cotorrita australianaSpanish
- Periquito australianoSpanish
- viirpapagoiEstonian
- PerikitoBasque
- مرغ عشقPersian
- undulaattiFinnish
- Perruche onduléeFrench
- Mélopsitte onduléFrench
- BudragárIrish
- BudjeeManx
- תוכוןHebrew
- תוכון מצויHebrew
- tigricaCroatian
- hullámos papagájHungarian
- Burung kesturiIndonesian
- CocoritaItalian
- Pappagallino ondulatoItalian
- Parrocchetto ondulatoItalian
- セキセイインコJapanese
- 사랑앵무Korean
- banguotoji papūgėlėLithuanian
- GrasparkietDutch
- PrikichiPapiamento
- papużka falistaPolish
- periquito-australianoPortuguese
- Periquito da AustráliaPortuguese
- Волнистый попугайчикRussian
- papagájec vlnkovaný (andulka)Slovak
- тигрицаSerbian
- Papagaj tigrica (divlji)Serbian
- นกหงส์หยกThai
- MuhabbetkuşuTurkish
- папужка хвилястийUkrainian
- 虎皮鸚鵡Chinese
- 虎皮鹦鹉Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the budgerigar
Other species in the same family Psittaculidae.
Rose-ringed parakeet
Psittacula krameri
Rosy-faced Lovebird
Agapornis roseicollis
Alexandrine parakeet
Psittacula eupatria
Fischer's Lovebird
Agapornis fischeri
Kalanga
Eclectus roratus
Masked Lovebird
Agapornis personatus
CompareBudgerigar vs Rose-ringed parakeetBudgerigar vs Rosy-faced LovebirdBudgerigar vs Alexandrine parakeetBudgerigar vs Fischer's Lovebird
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is a budgerigar?
The budgerigar is a bird in the parrot subgroup, classified in the family Psittaculidae and the order Psittaciformes.
How much does a budgerigar weigh?
An adult Budgerigar weighs 28.99 g, with values reported from 28.8 to 29.3 g.
What does a budgerigar eat?
The budgerigar is a granivore, placing it at the herbivore trophic level.
Which countries is the budgerigar recorded in?
Checklists record the budgerigar in Australia, and its geographic range covers 5,880,000 km².
Is the budgerigar endangered?
No. The budgerigar is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does a budgerigar live?
The budgerigar has a lifespan of 21 years.
How many eggs does a budgerigar lay?
The budgerigar has a clutch size of 5, with an incubation period of 18 days, and it reaches sexual maturity at 180 days.
Who named the budgerigar?
The budgerigar's scientific name, Melopsittacus undulatus, carries the authority (Shaw, 1805).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/budgerigar
“Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/budgerigar.
@misc{budgerigar_2026,
title = {Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/budgerigar},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}