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Budgerigar plague photos in W QLD, Australia (1 Viewer)

I can't believe anyone could think they're not wild - probably more birds in these shots than there are people within many thousands of square kilometres!
 
tjb, Budgerigars are endemic to Australia although who knows how many countries now have feral populations due to the pet industry.

My point in the original post is that these birds are naturally a very communal species and to keep them as a pet by themselves, or with only one or two other budgies, is very unnatural and cruel for a bird that in the wild only lives in large flocks.
 
Are there budgie feral populations in Britain?

The photos are great. The ones of the flock from a distance recall flocks of starlings to me. Wish I'd seen budgies in their natural habitat when I was in Oz a few years ago.
 
Great link! It would be fantastic to see flocks of wild Budgies like those shown in the pictures as opposed to seeing a few in cages here and there.
 
Wish I'd seen budgies in their natural habitat when I was in Oz a few years ago.

They are an outback species and not as easy to see as you might imagine. A real treat when you first spot them, no matter how many you see in pet shops.
 
I would have thought these are wild birds in thier natural colour what an awesome sight but what awful noise.
Whilst I would argue that Corellas and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos make a horrible racket, especially in large flocks, large flocks of Budgerigars don't make an awful noise IMHO. The spectacle is actually really a wonderful experience.:t:
 
Out of interest, when does a huge flock become a 'plague'? Do these flocks invade farmland?
They feed on grass seed and have been known to eat crops, but are, as far as I know, not usually considered a major pest. Corellas are far worse.

The huge numbers in SW Qld are largely due to the exceptional rain we had last year in the area. Huge areas of the state were under water. After the floods receded the fresh growth sparked an explosion in numbers both from breeding and influx from other areas.
 
yep, definitely not a plague! They are arid inland birds and highly nomadic, and I haven't heard of them causing any significant crop loss. Their numbers are regulated by rainfall, and besides, they were there first...!

It was a highlight of a recent trip to Bowra, western QLD, to see budgies all over the place, flocking and breeding. Before that I had only seen them in low numbers. What really struck me is how much smaller and greener the wild birds are then captive ones. We also saw a flock (maybe 100) of Flock Bronzewing, that was pretty special!

(my partner just went up the Birdsville track, SA and saw flocks of 'tens of thousands' of Flock Bronzewings, I am suffering severe pangs of jealously)
 
My mother lived in Queensland briefly in the 1950s and spoke about the clouds of budgies. Definitely not a plaque and definitely not abnormal. If that is unusual now it is sad - probably a reflection of man's impact.

Mike.
 
I was lucky enough to see something similar in W Qld a few years ago - not quite as big but still v impressive budgie flock.

I've also seen a few loan individuals in the UK before, presumably having just escaped from their sadistic jailers. I've never heard of them breeding in the UK though - presumably too cold, too wet, wrong habitat.

Caging parrots is just plain wrong. There is a really disturbing one above the door of the butchers in Hugh Town, St Mary's - some sort of half dead lovebird trapped in a tiny cage, trying to prise it's way out.
 
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