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Wellensittich-Bilder
The budgie
In a simplified taxonomy, the species can be classified as follows: Belonging to the kingdom of animals (Animalia), they are part of the class of birds (Aves). Within the order of parrots (Psittaci), they belong to the family of true parrots (Psittacidae). In the subfamily of broad-tailed parrots (Platycercinae), they form the genus Budgerigars (Melopsittacus). The scientific name of the species Budgerigar is Melopsittacus undulatus. No subspecies is known. Often, the Latin/Greek name is supplemented with Shaw 1805, referring to the Briton George Shaw, who first scientifically described the budgerigar in 1805 under the name Psittacus undulatus. Shaw had already mentioned budgerigars in his book Zoology of New Holland (the earlier name for Australia) in 1794. The name of the species used today goes back to the zoologist John Gould, who was the first to introduce the term Melopsittacus undulatus in his seven-volume work The Birds of Australia.
Appearance of the Budgerigars
The wild form of the species reaches about 18 cm in length. The forehead and throat are yellow, the cheek patches are blue, and six black throat spots complete the mask. The wave pattern becomes more pronounced from the crown over the wings to the back. The belly and the underside of the wings are green. The tail feathers are blue-green. The color of the beak is beige. Juveniles appear somewhat duller in color. Male and female budgerigars cannot be distinguished by their plumage. The only gender-specific distinguishing feature is the cere. In females, it is beige to brown, and in males, it is blue. The cere also provides the only externally visible indication of the birds' breeding readiness. In both females and males, the cere becomes a much more vibrant color when they are ready to breed.
Distribution and Lifestyle
In their native Australia, populations of these flock birds can be found across the entire mainland, with exceptions being the coastal regions and large forested areas. Budgerigars adapt to the dry climate of large areas of their habitat with a nomadic lifestyle. Living in a flock provides them with greater protection from predators such as snakes. The well-being of the flock is more important than the welfare of the individual. A sick bird endangers the entire flock, so they hide any illness for as long as possible to avoid being cast out from the group.
The primary food source for the birds is grass seeds, with one of the most important grasses being Spinifex. Human intervention in the budgerigars' habitat has led to both the diversion of previous water sources and, on the other hand, the creation of new water access through livestock watering points. The balance between benefit and harm for budgerigars at this point is a subject of controversial debate.
The daily routine of these birds begins early in the morning with a search for food, during which the individual flock members remain in visual and/or vocal contact with each other. The hot midday hours are often spent resting in the shade of tall eucalyptus trees, before the entire flock takes flight again in the early evening to search for food. The flock spends the night together on a communal sleeping tree. As nomadic birds, they only stay in one region as long as the climatic conditions provide sufficient food and water. However, the migratory movements of the small parrots and their companions have not yet been scientifically documented. While in the past, factors such as daylight, temperature, and water availability were considered, today the availability of food is seen as the main factor for the migration of the flocks or the beginning of breeding activity.
###advertiser_one###Reproduction in the Wild
As soon as the supply of food and water is secured for a longer period, budgerigars begin courting. The male woos the female with elements such as nibbling, feeding the female, preening, nudging the wing joint, excited pacing, and head-bobbing. If the female accepts the courtship, the male may mount the female, leading to copulation. Budgerigars are cavity nesters, and a clutch can consist of four to eight eggs. The female incubates the eggs and is lovingly fed by the male during incubation and while caring for the nestlings. The incubation period lasts eighteen days, and the nestling phase lasts twenty-eight to thirty-two days. Once fledged, the young budgerigars are soon left to fend for themselves.
It has been observed that after breeding, young birds form their own flocks. As mentioned earlier, the key criterion for breeding is the availability of food. Even if water is still sufficiently present, budgerigars will leave the breeding area if the food supply runs out earlier than necessary for rearing the young. In such cases, the abandoned young birds are doomed. This apparent cruelty of nature serves only the preservation of the species. If the right time to leave the area were missed, the entire flock would be at risk. However, the migration of the flock to another area offers the chance for a successful new brood.
History of Budgerigars
The budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) originally comes from Australia and was first mentioned by the English zoologist George Shaw in 1794 in the book 'Zoology of New Holland.' In 1805, Shaw wrote the first scientific article about the budgerigar, which is why its discovery is often dated to 1805. The name derives from the Greek mélos = song, lament, as well as the Latin words psittacus = parrot and undulatus = wavy.
By 1832, only two dead budgerigars had reached Europe, and in 1835, the first budgerigars were brought to England, though again only as dead specimens. Since 1840, they have been kept as ornamental birds, and by the mid-19th century, budgerigars were being bred. The first successful breeding in the world occurred in 1846 by Saulnier in France. In 1850, the first specimens arrived in Germany, and by 1855, there were successful breeding attempts in Germany as well. Breeding became necessary to meet demand, as an export ban on wild budgerigars was imposed in Australia in 1894, and even before that, many birds did not survive the transport. In earlier times, the budgerigar was still called the Undulatus Parrot in this country. Nowadays, the budgerigar is probably the most commonly kept parrot species worldwide.
Through various cross-breedings, new color variations gradually emerged, and in appearance, the domesticated budgerigar differs in some ways from the wild form. In 1878, a Belgian breeder succeeded in breeding the first blue budgerigar. Possible feather colors include black, white, yellow, green, blue, mauve, olive, brown, and gray. To this day, it has not been possible to breed red budgerigars, although several attempts have been made to cross red parrot species. There are also deviations in feather patterns today, with some color mutations where the feather pattern has completely disappeared. The budgerigar has often been crossed for genetic research purposes, with attempts, for example, to demonstrate Mendel's laws of inheritance.
###advertiser_two###Over the years, breeders developed an ideal concept of the budgerigar, which has little in common with the wild form. The goal of the breeding standard is to produce as large and bushy budgerigars as possible, known as standard budgerigars. This type, in addition to its size, also has significantly more throat spots than the wild form, which only has six throat spots.
The approach to keeping budgerigars has also changed. In the past, it was believed that, for example, small round cages were sufficient for a budgerigar or that the birds could be kept alone.
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