upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

I just came to this board out of curiosity as I have never heard of Grass Parakeets . I have an English Budgie - A Slate Buffy Blue and white, and a Dusky conure. They are best buds and live togther.

So do GP's sound like budgies, or different? What do they do that is different. I am curious after reading someone else post that they are better than budgies.

Georgie

Here's two pictures of a couple of bourkes.... the female on the left, male on the right. They were brother/sister, however sadly I lost the male (due to one of my budgies and I realised it too late)




I tried selecting a soft violet fabric to use as a background to try and bring out their colors...

I like to refer to bourkes as finches in a parrot body... they aren't quite as flighty as finches, but they are just gorgeous, calm little birds who love to twirp throughout the day! They don't sound like other birds of course!

Grass parakeets are any parakeet under the scientific name of Neophema, however bourkes have been 'reclassified', so technically they aren't grass keets.. but are still considered ones. Occasonally, psephotus and platycercus (rosellas) are also considered grass parakeets.

Neophema Grass Parakeets (the real ones!)
Elegant
Blue Winged
Orange Bellied
Rock
Turquise
Splendid aka Scarlet Chested

Neopsephotus Grass Parakeet
Bourke

Psephotus Parakeets
Red rumped
Mulga aka Many Colored
Paradise
Golden Shouldered
Blue Bonnet

Here's a good site for grass keets...
http://www.grassparakeet.com

Here's a video of two redrumps, with somebody whistling in the back.... the male redrump (the one on right) does make a sound part way through...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdFlUSREC9U

In this video you may hear some of the different grass keets that this owner has... among other birds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e35_iBPzTGo

Heres that redrump again showing off.... although he sounds similar to a cockatiel to me... lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJy4PCAaTJo


What I've noticed though, is that some grass parakeets tend to be so laid back that they would do well with cockatiels finches and canaries... where-as budgies tend to be too hyper and tend bully others. They are easy to tame, primarily speaking, however most people tend to keep them more as aviary birds than pets. I'd actually recommend a grass parakeet (such as a bourke) to a child rather than a budgie, they just tend to be that calm...

for your reply and pictures. That explains the diff perfectly. They sure are gorgeous birds.

As a footnote on budgies - I have found that the english budgies are quieter , calmer, and less bullying than the american budgie.

Georgie

You are right on that, however I have also heard that the english budgies tend to have shorter lifespans... I've seen english budgies but have never worked with one personally, so I don't know how they are overall, at least not in experience...

Wasn't thinking about it, but I actually do have a video with the bourkes chirping! Both are females so they dont sing.... but you can hear them... their cage sits next to Charlies (the conure)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yUz6X4R3FY

Ive recently accuired a Rosey Bourkes that DNA'd to be a female. She is in with my female Canaries and all seem to be real happy. She twitters and sings quietly more like a softbill than any budgie. Today she started making a song like that I hadnt heard from her before. Seconds later the singing bird clock went off and darn if she wasnt immitating the House Finch at noon seconds before it went off she started. Later, about twenty minutes or so I was in the birdroom with the adding machine (taxes in the bird room is way more relaxing - if tax work can be relaxing,lol) anyhow, she began imitating the adding machine! only prettier! Blows my mind. She will growl if she knows you going in for her though. She seems way more content in with those canary girls than she did alone and I NEVER EVER hear any arguments.

That's what I love about the bourkes! They are just so sweet and can get along with finches and canaries quite easily! They are not said to be talkers, let alone imitators, but then you get the rare occasion that one might... indeed they tend to be more like softbills, only a bit more passive like.. and they just sound so beautiful too!

Now see,LOL, everything you read can be so different. I read that they can be imitators of sounds very well but not talkers.

There are a LOT of birds lumped into the famiy name of "Grass Parakeets"

Crimson-wings for one


Budgies and Barrabands are also part of this group