History of the Parakeet

Parakeets, or budgerigars, are hardy, small birds that are naturally social. The Egyptians were the first to keep birds in captivity, and Queen Hatsheput (1504-1482 B.C.), actually had a zoo that included birds, according to Julie Rach Mancini's book, "Parakeet." Birdkeeping spread to ancient Greece and Rome, where the wealthy had pet birds from Africa and Asia. To understand the history of the parakeet, you must first look to its native Australia.

  1. Australia

    • Parakeets are native to the central and arid areas of Australia. They live in large flocks in a harsh climate, with little water. The English name for parakeet is budgerigar, which is said to be the Aboriginal term for "good to eat." The scientific name for the parakeet is Melopsittacus undulatus, which means "song parrot with wavy lines," according to "Parakeet." The waving lines on their feathers help camouflage the birds in the grasslands of Australia.

    Britain

    • In 1838 the British naturalist John Gould and his wife traveled to Australia from London to study the country's native wildlife. Though Gould thought the birds were dull, he brought back a pair to Britain. Gould's brother-in-law was the first to breed parakeets in captivity in the 1840s, and wealthy Europeans began purchasing birds directly from Australia. These birds traveled on week-long boat voyages in those days. The first pair that was bred in captivity was sold for 27 pounds, which is equivalent to several hundreds of dollars in today's currency.

    Zoos

    • Many zoos began showing the birds, and Belgium's Antwerp Zoo was the first zoo to exhibit the parakeet. Parakeet breeding took off in Antwerp in the 1850s, and many Europeans were soon buying the birds from Belgium. However, many birds were still exported from Australia. In 1894, Australia banned the export of its native parakeets, and the ban is still in effect today.

    America

    • Since the 1950s, parakeets have had the same amount of popularity as today. As of 2008, 17.5 million American have pet bids, according to Mancini's book. Parakeets make up 45 percent of that total. Most of the parakeets in America are bred and sold in America. American parakeets are smaller and livelier than their English counterparts, which are slightly larger. The American variety is the most common parakeet found in the U.S.