Beautiful Budgerigars
Budgerigars, Adelaide Zoo
I am quite pleased with this photo of two budgerigars. It was taken through the wire netting of one of the aviaries in the Adelaide Zoo here in south Australia. The viewer is not even aware of the netting between my camera lens and the birds.
Budgerigars, probably the most kept pet bird in the world, is truly magnificent in its natural colours and in its natural environment. I know breeders of this species have developed all sorts of amazing colour variations: yellow, blue, purple, white, speckled and even red – though I suspect the photo of a red one I found online was actually of a bird dyed that colour.
My question is: WHY?
Why mess with beauty and perfection. The natural colours are just perfect.
Rant over.
Budgerigar, Adelaide Zoo
Budgerigar, Adelaide Zoo
The small Australian parrot known as the Budgerigar would have to be one of the most popular pet birds in the world. They are easy to keep and are delightful companions, ideal for even small apartments, but equally at home in a large aviary.
This small parrot, however, is a native of the drier inland parts of Australia where it can sometimes form spectacular flock in the thousands. Only on one occasion have I seen this species in large numbers. This was on a visit to a remote farming area in north western Victoria. It was a memorable sight.
I am quite pleased with the photo above because it was taken through the wire netting of one of the aviaries in the Adelaide Zoo.
Budgerigar, Adelaide Zoo
Budgerigar, Adelaide Zoo
After a recent medical appointment in Adelaide my wife and I spent a few hours at the Adelaide Zoo. Apart from being the only zoo in Australia to have Giant Pandas exhibited, our local zoo has an excellent collection of birds, especially Australian species. Some of these are in walk-through aviaries, making photography easy.
Some, however, are seen through wire mesh. I am quite pleased with the photo above because I managed to focus on the bird without too much blur from the netting. Budgerigars are one of Australia’s favourite birds being kept as a pet by many people. It is also a popular cage bird worldwide.
The Budgerigars are coming
Budgerigars, Cleland Wildlife Park
The much loved Budgerigar is one of Australia’s favourite birds. Many millions are kept as pets in Australia and in many other countries of the world. One of the most amazing wildlife scenes in Australia is to see a large flock of hundreds and even thousands of Budgerigars. I’ve only even witnessed this on one occasion; it’s marked in my memory as one of the special birding moments.
Over the last week or so there have been numerous reports of these beautiful birds moving into the southern parts of Australia, including close to my home here in Murray Bridge. I’ll have to keep a special lookout for any that come our way.
Reader activity:
If you have one of these beautiful Australian parrots as a pet, tell me about it in the comments section.
Budgerigar
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Great Birding Moments # 20 Budgerigars
One of Australia’s most beautiful birds would have to be the tiny parrot called the Budgerigar. This species is popular the world over as a cage or aviary bird because they are endearing and easily kept pets as well as beautiful. In captivity there are many colour variations, but I love the natural colours. Why mess with perfection?
Over the years I have observed Budgerigars in the wild on only a handful of occasions, and only once in our garden. The most memorable occasion was during a holiday in Victoria. We were visiting a Nature Reserve south west of Mildura in the far north west of Victoria. We were slowly driving along the dirt track through the park looking for a shady tree for our lunch break. I had to stop the car because there were several hundred Budgerigars feeding on the grass on either side of the track. To see this wonderful bird in its natural environment is a special treat. I did not get a photo at the time, but more recently I took the photo below in the walk through aviary at Cleland Wildlife Park near Adelaide, South Australia.
Budgerigars, Cleland Wildlife Park
Related articles:
- Great Birding Moments – read more of my interesting birding experiences, with photos, in this series of articles.
Update: this photo above – and many other photos featured on this site – can now be purchased on a range of merchandise such as T-shirts, aprons, wall plaques, clocks and mugs. Go to my Trevor’s Photos site here.