Parakeet vs Budgerigar


People have a question in mind, ” What is the difference between a parakeet and a budgie? ” They always want to know, so we discuss here, parakeet vs budgie.

Parrots are the most common and popular pet bird across the World.People adopt parrots but don’t know about their species and the differences between the two.

parakeet vs budgerigar

Are Budgies and Parakeets the Same Bird?

Parakeet vs Budgie, There are no differences between the two.

In the United States, a budgie is commonly known as a parakeet, while the rest of the world knows them as a budgie or budgerigar.

A budgie or budgerigar is a species of Parakeet.
All budgerigars are parakeets, but all parakeets are not budgies.

Parakeet Vs Budgie

There are 115 different types of Parakeet species all over the world, budgie is one of them.

Parakeet Overview

indian parakeet
Image source – Pixabay (Indian Parakeet)

List of some popular different types of Parakeets.

  • Budgerigar
  • Monk parakeet
  • Rose-ringed parakeet
  • Plain parakeet
  • Barred parakeet
  • Sun conure
  • Eastern rosella
  • Rock parrot
  • Jandaya parakeet
  • Princess parrot

Parakeets belong to the parrot family, They are small types of parrots. They are found across the region of the world, from Asia to Australia, Africa and both American continents.

Taxonomically, Parakeets are parts of the Psittacidae subfamily.

The name parakeet comes from the French word perroquet, In modern French, “perruche” word used for budgies or similar-sized parakeets
In American English, parakeet is the word commonly used for budgerigars.

Why Do We Call Budgies as Parakeets?

Americans commonly call budgerigar, a parakeet. It’s easy to pronounce and not as difficult a name as budgerigar.

Budgerigar is a name not ideal for some people to pronounce and read.

It’s also difficult for a seller who wants to sell them in the market, with the name of Budgerigar, is not a suitable name, so they use a parakeet in place of the heavy name Budgerigar.

The name budgerigar is an aboriginal Australian name that means good bird.

Budgerigar was first introduced to the United States in the late 1920s, and became popular in the 1950s.

These, budgerigars have been famous in the United Kingdom for over 100 years, and sellers looking for another market to promote budgerigars as a pet bird choose the United States as a replacement for the UK.

The name Budgerigar was not suitable for the market, so they decided to call Budgerigar a parakeet for marketing possibilities.

With this name, budgerigars became famous as parakeets and are nowadays known commonly as parakeets.

Where does the name budgie come from?

Budgerigars are native to Australia. Obviously, if the Budgerigar is from Australia, then the name must be Australian. Budgerigar is a commonly used name in Australia that comes from an Aboriginal language. Budgerigar is made from two words budgeri means good, while gar means bird, which means good bird.

Budgerigar Overview

australian budgerigar
Image source – Pixabay (Australian Budgie)

Budgerigar is the only member of the Melopsittacus genus, which is the one and only genus in the Melopsittacini tribe.

Budgerigar is a species of Parakeets along with 115 species.


Parakeets are small to medium size parrot species, and budgerigar is one of them.

A category-wise, parakeets are the number one pet bird in the US and Europe.

Currently, over 21 million parakeets are kept as pets only in the United States.

English Budgies vs. Australian Budgies

The main difference between the two is size, english budgies are bigger in size up to 10-12 inches in length, while Australian Budgies are 7-9 inches long.

English Budgies are most popular in the UK, and people keep them as show birds, they are easy to train compared to Australian ones.

English Budgies are less vocalised but develop a similar vocabulary to Australian Budgies.

Both budgies are the same in colour, but English Budgies feathers are a little fluffier than Australian.

FAQ

What is the most popular parakeet?

Budgerigar is the most popular type of parakeet, Budgies are ranked as no.1 parakeet species as a pet.

What is the rarest parakeet?

The Echo Parakeet or Mauritius Parakeet is the world’s rarest parakeet. they are classified as conservation status, there are only 750 birds left in wildlife according to a report in 2019.

How many parakeets are there in India?

There are a total of 11 parakeet species in India, among them Vernal hanging parrot is the only true parrot.

Conclusion

Parakeet and budgie are two different words often used for the same bird species, the budgerigar.

Budgerigar is a small and colourful bird native to Australia, and these birds are widely kept as a pet all around the world, especially in the United States.

Budgie is a shorter name for budgerigar, and parakeet is a more commonly used name in America for budgie.

Budgie is a species of Parakeet, All Budgies are parakeets, but all parakeets are not budgies.

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