Budgerigars
“Budgies”, mistakenly called “parakeets” (any smallish parrot with a long tail is technically a “parakeet”) in the U.S., are little gems native to Australia. Perhaps the most popular pet bird of all, budgies are members of the parrot family and come in a dazzling array of humanly-manipulated colors (in the wild they are usually green). If acquired young and handled carefully they can become very affectionate. They are an ideal first bird and can live comfortably in an apartment. They can learn to talk well; one famous budgie had a vocabulary of over 500 words. Soft, sweet voices. Once you have your first budgie tamed and trained, consider getting another one as a playmate.
