What’s the Difference between Budgies and Cockatiels?

There are so many people asking about what’s the difference between budgies and cockatiels? The answer is, not much but they are equally distinct. These parrots have consistently been one of the most popular birds to keep as pets in the U.S. For many years, budgies or budgerigars were the number one companion birds. It’s only recently that they were overthrown by cockatiels. What’s the difference between budgies and cockatiels? If you’re looking to acquire one or the other as a pet, this article will show you not just what’s the difference between budgies and cockatiels but also there are similarities so that you can make the comparison yourself, and see which one fits you best.

What’s the difference between budgies and cockatiels: Pros

What’s the difference between budgies and cockatiels? Both budgies and cockatiels are part of the parrot family. They both have hookbills as well making their beaks suitable for cracking seeds. Just like other parrot species, in the wild, they live in flocks and lay eggs in trees. Both cockatiels and budgerigars are natives of inland Australia, particularly in the arid areas. In fact, they are quite numerous in aviculture.

Both of these species can also adapt in desert environments. Perhaps the reason why they have some sort of success as companion pets is due to the fact that these birds can simply adapt and survive to situations.

In captivity, they love eating vegetable treats and formulated diet with fresh water. They are also social birds. But wild one has survived unsuitable surroundings, an all – seed diet (which is not healthy) and neglect from some people.

Both budgies and cockatiels became ideal to keep as pets because of John Gould. In the 19^th century, he brought both these species to Europe and Great Britain. This is where they started to become established as sort of wildlife collections. And because both of these pets have a long history as captive pets, both of them sort of developed having color mutations.

Color Mutations for Budgies and Cockatiels

What’s the difference between budgies and cockatiels? In the wild, the natural coloration of cockatiels is solid gray with white wing patches and red patches on their cheeks. In captivity, they can have pied or lacy patterns and are also available in various colors. You can now get a cockatiel that has a soft brown coloring, white coloring, cream coloring and gray coloring.

Budgies in the wild are green in color and they have yellow faces but in captivity, they come in a myriad of colors! The common coloration of a pet budgie is green with a yellow face, or a color mutation which is a blue coloring with a white face. Their bodies can also have patterns like pied or lacy.

All cockatiels, no matter what color they have are not different breeds. They are simply different colors of one species. This is also the same for budgerigar birds. They just come in various colors, shapes and sizes.

Taming and Vocalization

What’s the difference between budgies and cockatiels? Budgies and cockatiels alike can easily be tamed even if it’s your first time owning a bird. They’re both curious enough, and are eager to learn new tricks and behaviors from their owners. For most people, budgies are thought as great pets for kids, but they can also be interesting pets for adults and seniors. This is the same for cockatiels. Both birds make interactive and affectionate companions especially for older people who can’t get up anymore or really care for a common household pet like a cat or dog.

In both species, males are usually the one who learns to mimic human sounds, while female birds generally don’t. They both adapt well to almost any kind of environments. However, it’s best that you provide them with a cage where they can have enough space to fly. You can also set them free inside your apartment or home for that extra freedom. Just make sure to close the windows and doors so that they won’t be able to escape.

Even though budgies and cockatiels make great apartment pets and can speak, they’re not that loud to the point that it will disturb your neighbors but they can still be quite noisy at times. The good thing is that at night, they make good neighbors because they’re silent.

What’s the difference between budgies and cockatiels: Characteristics

These aren’t really cons for both species, but mostly just what makes them different from one another.

As you may know, parrots and other types of bird species have their own individual personalities. Generally speaking though, cockatiels are more of a pacifist compared to budgies. They are not as active and just love spending their time preening and sitting on their cage. They do like to vocalize in the morning and at night. In the cockatoo family, cockatiels are the smallest species.

On the other hand, budgies are energetic birds. You can always see them play and move a lot in their cage. They also love to keep up a steady chatter. They are a member of the parakeet family, which is a group of slim – bodied and long – tailed birds. The most famous species is the Indian Ringneck and the Quaker Parakeet which ranges in South America.

What’s the difference between budgies and cockatiels? The main difference between a budgie and a cockatiel is their sizes.

A cockatiel is slightly larger than budgies. The former can reach up to 12 to 14 inches from its head to its tail feathers. The latter can range around 5 to 11 inches. What a lot of people don’t know is that there are two types of budgie birds. The first one is the traditional budgie that is usually found in Australia. The second one is a relatively larger budgie that is bred in Great Britain. The English budgie is specifically bred for pet trade and showing purposes. While these two types are both considered as budgie species, there are distinct differences between them especially if you’ve observed them together.

For instance, English budgie birds are around 2 inches longer than their Australian kinds. English budgies also have puffier feathers and larger heads. Their crowns and faces also have more feathers in it compared to the Australian budgerigars.

We hope in this article, you learned what’s the difference between budgies and cockatiels. Make sure to consider these two birds and assess if one is more suitable than the other.