What kind of bird is this?

Budgerigar, also known as Feng Jiao, is a small species of Nautilidae, which is native to inland Australia. Lively and active, easy to domesticate. It is one of the favorite pet birds of our country, and the wild population is the national second-class protected animal.

China is also known as Feng Jiao, Cai Feng, Assour and Ying Ge.

Latin scientific name ripple parrot

English name Budgerigar

Families and genera in New Zealand and Australia are divided into birds, parrots, Nautilidae and parrots.

[Edit this paragraph] Appearance characteristics

The head feather and back feather of budgerigar are generally yellow with black stripes, and the coat color and stripes are like tiger skin, so it is called budgerigar. Budgerigar is a small species of Nautilus, with bright feathers, lively temperament, crisp calls and easy domestication. It is one of the most popular birds in China. The head is round, the beak is hooked, and there is a wax film above the beak (the sex of most budgerigars can be distinguished by the color of the wax film). The budgerigar has short legs and four toes. The second toe is forward and the first toe is backward, which makes it easy to climb trees and objects.

This bird is yellow-green; The feathers on the back of the head, neck, upper back and wings are light brown, and each feather is yellow and black; The throat and face are yellow; There are different degrees of blue-purple under the cheeks and three black spots in the throat; Chest feathers have narrow black edges. The main flight feathers are light blue; The flight feathers are grayish green with light stripes; It is gray with white stripes inside; The feather in the center above the tail is blue-green, the tip is black and the inside is black. The beak is olive yellow and the wax film is blue; The iris is white. The wax film of the mother bird is gray-brown, only a little light blue, and will turn dark brown in the breeding season. Chickens are dark, and the wax film of both male and female chicks is pink. It takes 3 to 4 months to grow into a bird-like feather color.

The average life span of budgerigar is 7 years. It is16 ~18cm long and weighs 35g. Yellow forehead and face. There are purple-blue spots on the cheeks. The upper body is densely covered with yellow and black pinstripes. The waist and lower body are green. There are small black spots on the throat. The tail feathers are green and blue. The iris is white. The mouth is gray. The feet are gray and blue. The male bird's nose bag is light blue, and the female bird is flesh-colored.

Adult birds have flat heads and very strong beaks. The base of the upper beak shell is covered with a wax film, and the upper beak shell is hooked. Feather colors are rich and changeable, and the common colors are yellow, green, blue, white, blue-green, light yellow and so on. Because the feathers on the head, neck and back are mostly black or dark brown stripes, it is named budgerigar. Toe to toe, second and third toes forward, first and fourth toes backward, suitable for climbing on branches. It is more suitable for taking things and feeding. The tail is sharp and long, and the central tail feather extends like an arrow The difference between male and female adults lies in the color of wax film. The wax film of male birds is cyan, while that of female birds is flesh brown. The wax film and the base of the mouth shell of adult birds are dull. Toes are light and fleshy.

[Edit this paragraph] Distribution scope

Widely distributed in inland Australia, but rarely in the eastern, southwestern and coastal areas of Northern Province, Cape York Peninsula and Tasmania. They have been introduced to many countries (including escaped caged birds), but most of them failed to survive and reproduce successfully, including Britain, Japan, the United States, Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, Brazil, Switzerland, Colombia, society islands, New Zealand and Oman, but Florida, USA.

Budgerigars are native to Oceania and widely distributed in inland Australia, east, southwest and coastal areas of northern provinces, and there are also a few in Cape York Peninsula and Tasmania.

It is a national second-class protected animal. The male has a light blue nose and the female is meat white. Very cute.

Their average life expectancy is seven years.

Generally, it can reproduce after growing for about 3 months, and it can be divided into light blue, green, blue, white, yellow and variegated colors.

[Edit this paragraph] Living environment

Budgerigars mainly inhabit open grassland, dry Mali vegetation, Muraga shrubs and open dense forests, plains full of eucalyptus and acacia plants and agricultural areas; Usually, most people don't leave the river bank or water source too far. They are social birds, usually gathering 20 or even hundreds, and there have been records of gathering 25,000 birds; If disturbed, the whole group will fly, suddenly fly in circles in the air without direction, and then land in a tree near a safe distance; They are quite gregarious birds. Usually, every bird has its own position in the group, there is no class distinction, and occasionally there will be quarrels; At dawn, they will go to the water source to drink water first, and then go to feed. When the weather is hot at noon, they will rest in the dense shade. When the weather turns cold in the afternoon, they will continue to feed. At dusk, the whole group will start to return to their nests to rest for the night. I like foraging on the ground during the day, because the color of my feathers blends with the surrounding environment, so it is quite difficult to be detected; They are very friendly and not afraid of people, so they can observe at close range; Most of them are tanks, ponds, rivers and puddles on the ground where cattle and sheep drink water. Usually, the whole group will drink water together quickly to avoid being preyed by predators. They usually have no fixed feeding route, but search around in a nomadic way; In the cold season, I prefer to go to northern Australia and the region, and I will go to South Australia in the hot season.

Budgerigars can live in many ecological environments in their habitats, such as bushes, forests, grasslands, farmland and so on. All of them. Budgerigars have migration-like behaviors. In Australia, they occupy the north every winter (June to September) and gather in the south in summer (September to 65438+ 10).

Wild budgerigars generally feed on seeds, berries, buds and leaves of various plants, and fly to the fields to peck at grains in autumn.

[Edit this paragraph] Living habits

Like to gather in groups, they often form groups of 20 to hundreds to go out for food, and sometimes even gather 20 thousand or more in groups.

Budgerigar is simple in artificial breeding, extensive in management, resistant to roughage, strong in constitution, not easy to get sick and easy to breed. Budgerigars have hooks in their mouths, are strong and like to chew wood, so they can't be kept in bamboo cages, but only in metal cages. As a leisure ornamental bird, it can be kept in a small electroplated metal cage with perches and rings for parrots to play with.

As a breeder, a large square metal cage should be used. The size of the cage is 40 cm long, 35 cm wide and 35 cm high. There is a drawer-type sand table (stool tray) at the bottom of the cage to facilitate the cleaning of feces. The budgerigar's nest box is a horizontal nest. The size of the nest box is a small rectangular wooden box with a length of 25 cm, a width of 14 cm and a height of 14 cm. There is a partition in the middle, which is divided into an inner room and an outer room. The outer room has a round hole with a diameter of 6 cm, and the partition between the outer room and the inner room also has the same round hole with a diameter of 4 cm, which is the gateway for birds to enter and leave. Clean drinking water should be changed every day, and feces should be cleaned every week 1 time. Be careful not to sunbathe parrots under strong light in summer.

Keep warm in winter, and the indoor temperature shall not be lower than 16℃. The temperature is high in summer, and ventilation should be strengthened above 30℃. Budgerigars like to eat feed with shells. Usually, they should give priority to millet, barnyard grass, millet or egg millet. They should feed some vegetables, oyster powder or bone meal as regular feed every day (or peck at a whole cuttlefish bone in a cage).

Growth and reproduction

Wild budgerigars inhabit forest margins, grasslands and other places. Group activities. Feed on plant seeds and so on. The breeding period is June -65438+ 10. Nest in a tree hole. Each nest lays 4-8 eggs. The incubation period is 18 days.

At present, all the tiger skins raised and enjoyed in China are caged birds raised artificially, and their physique has been weakened. Therefore, breeders should choose long, plump and energetic individuals for breeding, which is conducive to the rejuvenation of the population in the future. Wild budgerigars live in groups, feed on plant seeds and fruits, nest in caves, breed 1-2 nests every year, and each nest lays 4-7 eggs. The egg is oval and the shell is pure white. The budgerigar raised artificially is very good at dismantling cages because of its hard mouth shell and flexible climbing with toes and sharp mouths. Therefore, it is advisable to build suitable cages and raise them with solid houses and metal nets. The room temperature should be kept at 5 ~ 10℃ in winter.

In the southern cities of China, the temperature is not lower than 0℃ in winter, and budgerigars can be bred in open cages. A small amount of breeding in the family, you can choose the right box cage, breeding and breeding effect is very good. Cages should have enough habitats for them to climb and live, and the ground or bottom of cages should be padded with fine sand for sand bathing and feeding. The feeding room needs good ventilation and sufficient light. A large number of budgerigars fed in groups drink a lot of water, so birds often excrete feces while drinking water, which often pollutes their drinking water. Therefore, it is best to use the automatic drinking machine used by poultry to supply water, so that you can not bathe in the water and keep the drinking water clean.

The feed ratio is: 7 parts of millet or millet, 2 parts of barnyard grass, and 0/part of perilla seed/kloc. This mixed granular material is suitable for feeding all kinds of parrots, plus mineral feed, such as squid bones and shells. Captive budgerigars lay eggs in dark light and hatch in nests. If the light in the nest is too strong, the hatching effect is not good. Usually, the artificial nest box consists of an inner nest chamber and an outer nest chamber, the outer nest chamber has a nest opening leading to the cage, and the partition plates between the inner nest chamber and the outer nest chamber are communicated with each other through holes. The inner nest room is covered with sawdust or fine sand, which is the place where females lay eggs and hatch. The reference dimensions of the nest box are: the inner nest room and the outer nest room are 16 cm (length) × 16 cm (width )×16 cm (height) respectively; The diameter of the nest mouth is 5 ~ 6 cm, and the lower edge of the nest mouth is 6 ~ 7 cm away from the nest bottom.

Beijing breeds budgerigars in autumn, winter and spring every year. In summer, due to the hot climate, continuous nesting and hatching not only affect the health of parents, but also significantly reduce the rate of hatching and brooding, so young birds are generally unhealthy, so they generally stop breeding in summer. The prevention and control method is to take out the nest box in the breeding cage from July to September every year, clean and disinfect it, and hang it again after 10 months. From June 65438 to June of the following year, budgerigar can lay eggs and hatch for 3-4 nests. Each nest lays 4-7 eggs, with a maximum of 10, pure white shell, egg weight of 2.5g, and incubation period of 18 days; The chicks stay in the nest for 34 ~ 38 days, and begin to live independently around 40 days old. Young birds are sexually mature at 6-8 months and begin to mate and reproduce. The best mating age is 1 ~ 5 years old.

If budgerigars are raised in the south, they can breed in all seasons, but if the temperature is too high in summer, it is still recommended not to let the parent birds hold their nests.

The budgerigar reaches sexual maturity at the age of 4 months and begins to mate in estrus, so it can be used as a kind of breeding bird. Budgerigars can breed all year round, and generally can lay 4-7 eggs per nest. The eggs are white, and they lay 1 egg every day or every other day. When the third egg is laid, the female bird begins to hatch in the nest for 18 days. The brooding period is about 30 days. Female birds are sensitive to external interference during the incubation period, so try to keep the environment quiet so as not to abandon the nest after being frightened, which will affect hatching and brooding. In winter, the room temperature of breeders should be kept above 20℃, the relative humidity should be 45% ~ 50%, and indoor air circulation should be maintained. The breeding peak of budgerigar can reach 3-4 years, and then the breeding rate will gradually decrease. In order to purify and rejuvenate breeding birds, breeding birds should be constantly updated. The average life span of budgerigar is 7 years.

Demographic situation

Budgerigar is the most common parrot in the world, which is cheap, naughty and lovely, and is widely loved by the public. The total number of budgerigars in the world exceeds 5 million. They are often the first parrots bought by many people who are just interested in parrots, and they are also the most common species in bird exhibitions. Since the great discovery and breakthrough of genetic engineering by Australian biologist Jimmand in AD 1900, all kinds of budgerigars have entered an unprecedented diversity.

There are many kinds of budgerigars cultivated artificially, which are mainly distinguished by the color of body feathers. Generally, they can be divided into the following categories:

1. Corrugated budgerigar The budgerigar raised in China basically belongs to this category. Feathers are similar in color to the original species, such as blue, yellow and green, and the upper body is covered with black stripes.

2. Pale budgerigar can be divided into two strains: upper yellow, belly green, upper white and belly blue, both of which have black spots on their wings (some don't).

3. Jade-headed budgerigar is a kind of budgerigar, with white head and light blue color in other parts of the body; The other species has a yellow head and green feathers in other parts of the body.

4. The albino budgerigar has clean white feathers and red eyes, and is called the white red-eyed budgerigar. There is also a budgerigar with white feathers and large black spots, called budgerigar.

5. The yellowed budgerigar has yellow feathers and red eyes, which is called yellow-red budgerigar.

Identification of male and female of tiger skin chicken;

Male bird: The wax films are all pink.

Female bird: There is a circle of white around her nostrils.

Male and female identification method of tiger skin middle-aged birds;

Male bird: The color of wax film is pink or blue depending on the species.

Female bird: The nostrils are blue, and the outside is lighter blue.

Male and female identification of adult tiger skin;

Male bird: According to different species, some wax films are blue and some are pink.

Female bird: according to different species, some wax films are white, and some wax films are wrinkled brown (indicating that female birds are in estrus)

Domestication method

Method 1: Regular contact training requires patience. This method includes talking to your budgerigar often and calming them down in a gentle tone. Slowly put your hand into the cage until the bird stops running. In the previous few times, you shouldn't reach out to catch them or move in front of them excitedly. Give them some time to get used to your hands. When it is no longer afraid, you can put your finger close to its abdomen, like a perch, to see if they will stand up. Remember to say "come up" when your finger gently touches its abdomen. When you want them to return to their cages and habitats, you should say "go down". When it is in your hand, keep talking to him. Don't be too eager when you take it out of the cage for the first time. In these initial trainings, the training time should be as short as possible. With the increase of training times, you can also slowly lengthen the time, and finally you can have a budgerigar friend who believes in you! Method 2: Let them have their own time. Don't try to touch them with your hands in the first few days when they get home. Give them some time to adapt to the new environment and home, and put the cage in your usual place. You need to spend a lot of time with them, try to talk to them, and only put your hands near the cage when changing water or fresh food. Try to let the birds know that everything you do is for their own good and you don't want to hurt them. In that case, it may take some time to make them willing to come out to you. You can lure them out by putting shells or bird snacks outside the cage. Or put these bribes in your hands, use cages or lure them from the outside. In the end, he will believe you and become your friend. Method 3: Repeatedly grasp and release. Take the budgerigar to another room without a cage. Catch it and put it again and again, and the budgerigar will soon know that you won't hurt it. Continue this training for about half an hour, then take it back to its cage and talk to it for a while. Method 4: Melanie's intensive training method. This method must be very careful. When you hold a tiger skin in your hand, make sure that your hand is not too tight, otherwise it may cause the bird to suffocate. Although some tiger skins have been tamed by this method, there are still many tiger skins that have not responded well to this method and will even become more difficult to gain their trust in the future. "Grab a new tiger skin with your hand, and be careful that it will try to bite your finger. If you don't drive, you will carry its body all the way home. Or hold it for half an hour at a time, at least five times on the first day, and don't let it get away. If there is a bite, grab its mouth. This method can make them bite without too much effort and don't want to run away.