If you see a small to medium sized parrot that is quite colorful and has a long pointed tail chance are it's one of the many parrots that belong to the parakeet family.
Hopping from perch to perch, chewing on everything in sight or playing with their toys pretty much sums up the day of a parakeet. Sitting still just isn't part of their nature.
Budgie birds are just one of the large varieties of parakeets, yet in some areas parakeets is the term used when someone is referring to budgies.
Native to Australia the wild budgie is a light green color, but breeders have managed to create a wide variety of color mutations in the captive budgerigars.
Both male and female budgies can learn to talk, but in general the males tend to be better at it. Both sexes are intelligent, inquisitive, and social birds that tame easily and are great at doing tricks.
Second only to the budgies as pet parrots are the
cockatiel birds.
With the crest of feathers on their heads that raise when they are excited it's easy to recognize that the cockatiels are members of the cockatoo family.
Cockatiels are far less demanding of your attention than most other cockatoos, and you can have a happy, tame and cuddly pet parrot with just a little bit of attention each day. Of course if you want to give them a lot of attention they are happy to oblige.
Cockatiels are great parrots that are reasonably priced even with the added expense of cages, toys and food and make a great choice for those that want a pet parrot without the huge costs associate with owning one.
If you want a bird that is good at talking, but are thinking about small
parrots - quaker parrots are great at talking and word association.
Quaker parrots live between 20 and 30 years and are about the same size of a cockatiel, although they are slightly heavier than cockatiels are.
Quakers are sometimes referred to as gray-breasted parakeets or as monk parrots. They are primarily green with a blue tinge on the primary wing and tail feathers. Their cheeks, throat, forehead and breasts have a pale gray color.
If a intelligent, small talking parrot is right for you the quakers are a good parrot to check out.
Like the
macaw birds there are many different species of parakeets, all with their own characteristics.
Find out more about the different
parrot species at
Pet Parrots Web
