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Budgerigar: How a brave, chatty and colourful little Aussie bird stole the world's heart
Budgies, budgies, budgies. Beautiful and cheeky, delightful and enchanting, wild or tamed, budgerigars are Australia's gift to the bird world. They know how to count, can grasp simple grammar, and have incredible memory. They're masters of mimicry. They dance and they yawn. They've been coveted by royals, been companions to the great and famous as well as to grannies in suburban kitchens around the world. They've been painted by masters, rendered in the finest porcelain, been bred artificially in test tubes, and depicted on postage stamps of more than 30 nations. Their image has been used to sell everything from whisky to laundry detergent. Surprising, charming, and occasionally alarming, Budgerigar is the book that at last opens the cage door on the incredible story of the little bird that grew.
258 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 31, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 22, 2020
This book was surprisingly compelling reading. What I thought was going to be a fluffy collection of anecdotes about budgies and their besotted owners turned out instead to be a complete and thorough history of the little parrot, from bush budgie to…well, what they are now, which also forms an integral part of this history. Honestly, I never thought I’d say this about a book on budgies, but this was excellent reading.
‘Generation upon generation of captive and selective breeding has produced, at best, a much-loved and cosseted companion and, at worst, a feathered Frankenstein that’s not so much a bird as a caricature of the original wild creature.’
As well as history, this book provides a commentary on aspects of society within the context of respect for nature. There is scientific enquiry from breeding through to research, examination of the very nature of budgies in terms of what makes them so appealing as a pet, changing ideals with regards to bird keeping, and of course, plenty of those anecdotes about budgies that I was expecting.
‘More than 150 years of intensive select breeding, favouring the qualities that humans want to see rather than those that might serve the bird if they developed naturally, have had an inevitable effect on the creatures’ physiology. They are shorter-lived, less fertile, more prone to disease, less adept at parenting and simply incapable of foraging for themselves.’
While always interesting, this book was also quite sad at times, the poor little budgie having been subjected to many indignities throughout its long history. This book has much to offer, even to those who don’t keep birds as pets. Really, anyone with a keen interest in history would enjoy this book. It offers many topics for contemplation and provides a wealth of talking points – just ask my family who know more about budgies now than they likely ever wished to! In all seriousness, this is an engaging read that I can highly recommend.
‘The point where you realise you have done a grotesque thing is always too late. That is human nature and maybe nature in general.’
Thanks is extended to Allen & Unwin for providing me with a copy of Budgerigar for review.
‘Generation upon generation of captive and selective breeding has produced, at best, a much-loved and cosseted companion and, at worst, a feathered Frankenstein that’s not so much a bird as a caricature of the original wild creature.’
As well as history, this book provides a commentary on aspects of society within the context of respect for nature. There is scientific enquiry from breeding through to research, examination of the very nature of budgies in terms of what makes them so appealing as a pet, changing ideals with regards to bird keeping, and of course, plenty of those anecdotes about budgies that I was expecting.
‘More than 150 years of intensive select breeding, favouring the qualities that humans want to see rather than those that might serve the bird if they developed naturally, have had an inevitable effect on the creatures’ physiology. They are shorter-lived, less fertile, more prone to disease, less adept at parenting and simply incapable of foraging for themselves.’
While always interesting, this book was also quite sad at times, the poor little budgie having been subjected to many indignities throughout its long history. This book has much to offer, even to those who don’t keep birds as pets. Really, anyone with a keen interest in history would enjoy this book. It offers many topics for contemplation and provides a wealth of talking points – just ask my family who know more about budgies now than they likely ever wished to! In all seriousness, this is an engaging read that I can highly recommend.
‘The point where you realise you have done a grotesque thing is always too late. That is human nature and maybe nature in general.’
Thanks is extended to Allen & Unwin for providing me with a copy of Budgerigar for review.
April 28, 2020
I’ve had a budgie almost constantly since I was a kid. I’ve had green ones and blue ones, boys and girls but the one thing they have all had in common is that they are generally happy little birds. They are fascinating, smart and a great companion.
Budgerigar by Sarah Harris and Don Baker aims to get to the bottom of why these humans love these birds so much. It starts by tracing the history of the budgie in Australia and then expands on how it was transported to England, then Europe and across the world. Some of these sections were difficult to read, as the conditions for the birds weren’t always conducive to survival. Budgie mania was rife in England and Europe and it’s amazing that these birds not only lived, but thrived. There are interesting sections on budgie mutations (as native budgies are green and yellow, like the cover bird here) and breeding. However, my favourite parts were little sections interspersed in the narrative of famous budgies and what they could do. Some budgies could speak many English words, others knew to recite their address when they got lost. Some even managed to survive in a northern hemisphere winter!
The book is easy to pick up and read in sections, or sit down and read through. The style of writing is engaging, and doesn’t get bogged down in technical detail or boring facts. It’s highly entertaining, for both keen budgie fanciers and those looking to know something about the little bird who took over the world. There is also a lovely selection of colour pictures of budgies with famous people and in advertising over the years. I learned a lot about the budgie’s history, which is something you don’t see in the usual budgie books.
I also asked my budgie, Nic for his review. He wasn’t keen on the budgie on the cover (likely because it was bigger than him) but the edges of the paper were to his taste. His overall review was, ‘very cute!’.
Thank you to Allen & Unwin for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
Budgerigar by Sarah Harris and Don Baker aims to get to the bottom of why these humans love these birds so much. It starts by tracing the history of the budgie in Australia and then expands on how it was transported to England, then Europe and across the world. Some of these sections were difficult to read, as the conditions for the birds weren’t always conducive to survival. Budgie mania was rife in England and Europe and it’s amazing that these birds not only lived, but thrived. There are interesting sections on budgie mutations (as native budgies are green and yellow, like the cover bird here) and breeding. However, my favourite parts were little sections interspersed in the narrative of famous budgies and what they could do. Some budgies could speak many English words, others knew to recite their address when they got lost. Some even managed to survive in a northern hemisphere winter!
The book is easy to pick up and read in sections, or sit down and read through. The style of writing is engaging, and doesn’t get bogged down in technical detail or boring facts. It’s highly entertaining, for both keen budgie fanciers and those looking to know something about the little bird who took over the world. There is also a lovely selection of colour pictures of budgies with famous people and in advertising over the years. I learned a lot about the budgie’s history, which is something you don’t see in the usual budgie books.
I also asked my budgie, Nic for his review. He wasn’t keen on the budgie on the cover (likely because it was bigger than him) but the edges of the paper were to his taste. His overall review was, ‘very cute!’.
Thank you to Allen & Unwin for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
August 6, 2020
Not quite what I was expecting. I thought I would learn more about the budgerigar as a bird, but what I got was a history of it as a pet and show bird. Interesting, but I'm still left knowing little about this bird and its natural life.
May 11, 2024
Can confirm this book is budgie approved - I read parts of it aloud to mine, and he was very pleased to hear complimentary things about his family!
Seriously though, this was charming, interesting and a lot of fun
Seriously though, this was charming, interesting and a lot of fun
March 12, 2025
Really well researched, and I learnt a lot. It flowed nicely and was easy to read. Loved the vignettes of historical correspondence and learning about the wild and wonderful different ways budgies have made their way around the world and into the hearts of people.
12/5 - adding a little post script because the thing that has kept me chuckling since I read this is that boy budgies are horny little idiots 🤣
12/5 - adding a little post script because the thing that has kept me chuckling since I read this is that boy budgies are horny little idiots 🤣
July 12, 2020
It had some interesting information, but I felt that the newspaper story snippets were overused, and could have had better impact if there were fewer of them.
June 20, 2020
One of Australia's greatest exports is a little green yellow-faced parrot, but it is so much more than its "budget pet" status would have you believe.
There is a multitude of entertaining factoids to learn about this feathered friend, with captivating stories about their wild counterparts swarming in their millions, to individual stories of cute budgies taught to say "down with Hitler!"
The history of the budgie is a colourful trip that takes place in many parts of the world, with plenty of interesting people playing a role in the development and popularity of this pet. As with any retrospective, there are moments of sadness and some grotesque images.
A few controversies are presented in the end, and are ripe for discussion and debate with your budgie-loving friends.
This is a fantastic book! The authors clearly had a wonderful time compiling all their research. I have come away with even greater respect for this strong bird.
There is a multitude of entertaining factoids to learn about this feathered friend, with captivating stories about their wild counterparts swarming in their millions, to individual stories of cute budgies taught to say "down with Hitler!"
The history of the budgie is a colourful trip that takes place in many parts of the world, with plenty of interesting people playing a role in the development and popularity of this pet. As with any retrospective, there are moments of sadness and some grotesque images.
A few controversies are presented in the end, and are ripe for discussion and debate with your budgie-loving friends.
This is a fantastic book! The authors clearly had a wonderful time compiling all their research. I have come away with even greater respect for this strong bird.
January 26, 2025
Very readable account of humanity's fascination with the chirpiest, best-natured bird from interior Australia and how it became a global status symbol and must-have accessory in every 'civilised' household 19th century back in the motherland. Does not shy away from the ruthless exploitation of these beloved creatures by cruel, greedy fortune seekers and status seeking opportunists.
March 3, 2021
Love this book. So glad I decided to read it. I have learnt so much more about budgies from this book.
The authors did a great job putting all the information together.
Loved all the little fun facts throughout the book.
Love the comment about Smudge
The authors did a great job putting all the information together.
Loved all the little fun facts throughout the book.
Love the comment about Smudge
February 25, 2022
Amazingly entertaining and well researched!
Fascinating and the history was riveting... who knew there was so much to know about budgies! Not just a great book about budgies, quite simply a great read! Would definitely recommend
Fascinating and the history was riveting... who knew there was so much to know about budgies! Not just a great book about budgies, quite simply a great read! Would definitely recommend
June 11, 2022
I had no idea budgies were a cultural phenomenon. The unlikely story about how the budgie made it out of Australia, made fortunes and ruined them, was symied by Nazis and then rebounded was surprising and entertaining.
June 16, 2023
This has a lot of historical information and is written in an accessible and engaging manner. I found it really difficult to read the chapters on the historical live bird trade, with the number of wild birds being trapped and then transported back to England for sale.
July 11, 2020
An interesting collection of facts.
September 12, 2020
A really delightful book that was much more interesting than I expected!
Read
April 7, 2023DNF about 2/3 through
July 24, 2024
An interesting read, featuring the history of this bird and the breeding issues faced, including bans for some years and stories from the UK and America.
July 26, 2026
There were a few interesting tidbits.... but meh
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews