brachy, George looks like he might be an English budgie. I’m no expert, but looked into budgie info recently when I bought two at a yard sale “Well, we’re jest tired of em” :eek:
The English budgie is bigger, and George’s beak looks like the beak of the ones I saw at the bird store. The American budgie has a “cuter” face, small beak. This may matter in finding George’s owner because English budgies are more expensive, and show birds. It might be worth posting Missing Bird on a local budgie website. Though, I’d think a show bird’s wings would be kept trimmed.
Lucky George to have you rescue him. A bright birdie like that seems to be sure hawk chow in the wild.
It’s a little hard to tell, but George is not that much larger than an adult House Sparrow. Here’s an adult male I’m holding.. But I haven’t seen English budgies, so maybe he is one? His beak is pretty big. He also wasn’t ringed (but maybe show budgies aren’t banded here?). He did puff up a bit, but many birds do that when held by a big, potential predator. I’m big and scary - don’t eat me! The House Sparrows also hold their wings out, I guess to emphasis that message, heh.
Again, I’m no expert, but George’s beak looks bigger than my run-o-the mill (yard sale) keets. One of the traits of English budgies is that they “puff up” more, and have more scallopped markings. My regular American pet store keets are a bit smaller than a House Sparrow.
I think you’re right to think show birds would be banded. I’ll retract my previous observation that show birds would be wing clipped… nice feathers are probably a show attribute.
I’ve come to love these yard sale budgies, they are getting along with my two rescue cockatiels; one a wild flier, one a leftover from a sad triple (human) murder case.
They all have taming issues, but I’m trying.
Whatever George’s fate, he’s lucky to have a birdlover look after him. One point: if you want to finger train a bird, it’s thought best to clip their wings to make them dependent on you. I haven’t done this, because i have a whole room for the birds, and let them fly at will. I’m sure that hinders their “step up” progress, but i’m a softy with allowing them their born flight rights.
Your George is very handsome and beaky, but I think he is a standard budgie. The English budgies I have met have more prominent spotted feathers around the face and a pouty-er look. He looks almost as angry as my George bird (a mitred conure) at the vet’s office.
I did a post-doc with the NZ Wildlife Service in the early 1980s, working on Stitchbirds (an endangered honeyeater) on Little Barrier Island. We had both Red-crowned and Yellow-crowned Kakarikis in the forest there - they loved eating beech seeds. We also had lots of Kakas, who used to come in to be fed at the ranger’s house.
I was lucky enough to be able to work with the biggest budgie of all, the Kakapo. The Wildlife Service was doing a translocation from Stewart Island to Little Barrier when I was there, so I got to handle 5 or 6 of them, and also glimpse a couple at night wandering around. I also went chasing them around in the Southern Alps and on Stewart Island, though I never saw any there - although I did hear them booming.
All is well.