LIVE WEBCAM WITH BUDGIES

More info: The budgerigar is a long-tailed, seed-eating parrot also known as a parakeet and often referred to as a budgie.

Budgies are natives of Australia, and that is the only place where truly wild flocks can be found. There are feral populations of budgies elsewhere in the world which have formed from escaped birds and although they may seem to be thriving they are vulnerable to harsh winters which can wipe them out. In the wild, budgies favour open scrubland and grassland but never too far from water.

In times of drought budgies gather in huge numbers at any puddle they can find. If there is no surface water available they locate damp ground and wait for kangaroos to arrive who they have learnt long ago, will dig for water on their behalf. With the arrival of humans, a second potential well-digger had arrived in the budgie’s life. This was probably the trigger for the bird’s expansion across much of Australia, following the diggers. The constant pursuit of the most abundant food and water makes wild budgerigars travel several thousand miles each year.

Grass seeds might be their favourite food, but budgies are not fussy when times are hard, and will happily eat all manner of fruit, leaves, plants, and even invertebrates. This liberal approach to diet has often landed them in trouble with humans, when their nomadic lifestyle has brought them to fields of wheat, barley and other agricultural crops.