The budgerigar is also known as common pet parakeet or shell parakeet and informally nicknamed the budgie. It is a small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrot. Budgerigars are the only species in the Australian genus Melopsittacus, and are found wild throughout the drier parts of Australia where the species has survived harsh inland conditions for the last five million years.

By Bartomiej Krzeski VC