Naww
best friends, so cute.
The Budgerigar (Melopsittacus
undulatus), (parakeet, shell parakeet, budgie, or common
pet parakeet in US English) is a small parrot belonging
to the tribe of the broad-tailed parrots (Platycercini);
sometimes considered a subfamily (Platycercinae). It is
the only species in the Australian genus Melopsittacus
and sometimes isolated in a tribe of its own, the Melopsittacini,
although it is probably quite closely related to Pezoporus
and Neophema. Though budgerigars are often, especially
in American English, called Parakeets, this term refers
to any of a number of small parrots with long flat tails.
The budgerigar is found throughout the drier parts of
Australia and has survived for the last five million years
in the harsh inland conditions of that continent.
Budgerigars in their natural-habitats of Australia are
noticeably smaller than those in captivity. This particular
parrot species has been bred in many other colours and
shades in captivity (i.e. blue, grey, greygreen, pieds,
violet, white, yellow...) although they are mostly found
in pet stores in blue, green and yellow. Budgerigar plumage
is known to fluoresce under ultraviolet light (as most
other parrot species do as well), a phenomenon possibly
related to courtship and mate selection.
Like many birds, budgerigars have tetrachromatic colour
vision, but all four classes of cone cells operating simultaneously
requires the full spectrum provided by sunlight. Additionally,
budgerigars have been known to see in the ultra-violet
spectrum, which brightens up their feathers to attract
mates. The throat-spots in budgerigars have been most
notable for reflecting UVs and for identifying one bird
from the other... |
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