Budgie Vision (1)

Vision is the most important sense for budgerigars. Good eyesight is essential for safe flight.

Budgies have got their eyes on the side of their heads, which provides them a wide visual field, useful for detecting predators. Birds that have eyes on the front of their heads, such as owls and eagles, have binocular vision, which is in turn useful for estimating distances while for example hunting.



Images © Wikipedia

While humans have only two eyelids, budgerigars have a third concealed eyelid that is called the nictitating membrane. This thin and transparent "eyelid" sweeps across the eye like a windscreen wiper, acting as a lubricating duct - equivalent to our tear duct. The nictitating membrane also covers the eye and acts as a kind of contact lens in many aquatic birds when they dive underwater. When your budgie is asleep, the lower eyelid rises to cover the eye completely.

If you look hard enough, you will be able to see the nictitating membrane on the picture below. It's quite hard to see in general, as your budgie often moves it with lightning speed. I have seen it in one of my budgies, Wit Zingbeest. Back then, I didn't know why he suddenly covered his eye with a transparent layer. I thought he was tired of me talking to him, but still showing his eye somehow to indicate that he was listening :-)

Image © Birds Online

Jigsaw puzzles

If you like budgies, you will enjoy these jigsaw puzzles. It's a relaxing thing to do when you find time :)

Jigsaw puzzle of a young budgie drinking at a pool in Donkey Creek from Ardea

Click here to make a puzzle!

You can choose the level of difficulty. You can also upload a picture of your own budgies and make them into jigsaw puzzles that you can share with others. Go to this website: http://www.jigzone.com/

Happy Easter!

A little late, but happy Easter everyone! ^_^

Image © quad-band-phones.com

Budgie Body Language (6)

Are my budgies fighting?

Image ©​ budgerigars.co.uk

Budgies rarely fight. What you see here, is a clear signal from the male budgie on the right, that he is ready to mate. The female budgie on the other hand, is not ready yet. She doesn't lower her head. Instead, she objects and pulls her head away from him. The male budgie will have to be a little more patient.

Note: if you wish to have baby budgies, you have to get a good nest box. Budgies are among the few birds in Australia that lay their eggs in cavities and hollow tree trunks.

Previous posts in this series:
Body Language of a sleeping budgie
Body Language of a preening budgie (Budgie Body Language 1)
Budgie Body Language (2)
Budgie Body Language (3)
Budgie Body Language (4)  
Budgie Body Language (5)

Norwegian budgie song

My fiancé from Norway happens to know a children's song about a budgie. The song is taught together with a little dance. It goes like this:

Jeg er en liten undulat - flakser med hendene som en liten fugl
som får så dårlig med mat - stryker over magen
for de jeg bor hos, for de jeg bor hos - tegner et hus i luften
er så gjerrig. - viser med liten avstand mellom pekefinger og tommel

De gir meg sild hver eneste dag, - lager bølgebevegelser med ene hånden
men det vil jeg ikke ha. -
Nei, jeg vil heller, ja mye heller -
ha Coca Cola og is. - drikker "Cola" og strekker ut tungen og slikker på en "is"

Now, the translation:

I'm a little budgie - wave your hands up and down like a little bird
Who is so poorly fed - rub your belly
Because those I live with, those I live with - draw a house in the sky
Are so cheap. - create a small distance between index finger and thumb

They give me herring every day - make wavy movements with your hands
But I don't want that -
No, I would rather, much rather -
Have coca cola and ice cream. - pretend to drink "coca cola" and stick out your tongue, as if eating ice cream

* Important note: budgies are not allowed to eat ice cream, herring or drink coca cola! I hope you all know this :-)