Flight of the Budgerigar: An Illustrated History

by Penny Olsen

The Budgerigar is arguably Australia’s best-known bird. At the same time, it is so ubiquitous that not everyone knows that it is Australian. Nor do many realise that the multicoloured bird that comes to mind—not to mention today’s super-sized, extravagantly coiffed show budgie—is as different from the free-living original as a chihuahua from a wolf.

Far from the cosy domestic lives our pet budgies live today, the native budgerigar has lived millennia of boom-bust cycles in the arid inland of Australia. Life was often short; if they were not fodder for predators, they starved or had to struggle their way to districts closer to the coast. For the Warlpiri and their Arrernte neighbours around Alice Springs, the Budgerigar (in its ancestral form) was a totem animal, featuring in art, ceremonies, songlines and legends.

Since 1840, when ornithologist John Gould took living specimens to London, this little parrot has been on a remarkable journey. The Budgerigar was Australia’s first mass export; its story includes British queens and nobles, Japanese princes and Hollywood stars. It has won the hearts of British spies and world leaders, including Churchill, Stalin and Kennedy.

Taking the reader from the Dreamtime to the colonial live bird trade, the competitive culture of the showroom and today’s thriving wild flocks, Flight of the Budgerigar is the authoritative history of the Budgerigar, written by respected ornithologist Dr Penny Olsen, and lavishly illustrated in full colour.

Genres: Nonfiction, Birds, Animals

272 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2021

Reviews

[Theresa Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last year I read a non-fiction book titled Budgerigar by Sarah Harris and Don Baker and to be honest, there was a lot of cross over between that book and this one. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed returning to the topic. The research within Flight of the Budgerigar is immense and the wider focus on natural history was fascinating. The illustrations throughout were wonderful and provided an informed history on their own. From the earliest images of budgerigars to the most modern photos, I really loved poring over all the illustrations and reading the captions that accompanied them. My favourite section of the book was the chapter titled ‘Casualties of War’ which detailed the impact WWII had on budgerigars and other pets in London during the Blitz. Very sad, indeed. I immensely enjoyed the stories sprinkled throughout about well known people from history and their beloved budgies, such as Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, and the Kennedy’s. I just love the way these stories highlight that when it comes to loving a pet, be it cat, dog, or bird, we’re all the same.


“The Budgerigar was Australia’s first mass export and yet another example of Australians selling off their natural resources for a pittance to be value-added elsewhere and sold back at great expense. Perhaps, too, an example of talent that must prove itself overseas before it is celebrated here.
The elegant little parrot that Australia gave away and then reclaimed is arguably the nation’s best-known bird. At the same time, it is so ubiquitous that not everyone knows that it is Australian.
…in the mid-1930s, the Budgerigar was protected and feted back in its home country, having already seduced a good slab of the rest of the world.”


I have a personal interest in birds, so I am drawn to books like this, plus, it is just quite fascinating history, and you all know how much of a history buff I am. This little parrot, the budgerigar, native to Australia and unable to survive in the wild anywhere else, has evolved into such an iconic little pet all around the world. It’s a rather impressive and interesting history. The author has also considered the place that budgerigars have within Aboriginal history, and this is something of which I was previously unaware. This book will appeal to those who love budgerigars, of course, but also those who have an interest in natural history, particularly that which relates to Australian birds. Well written, extensively researched, and beautifully presented, Flight of the Budgerigar is a book I highly recommend, particularly as Christmas approaches. It would be an ideal gift for the non-fiction book lover in your life.

Thanks to Quikmark Media for the review copy.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, packed with illustrations and budgie information. Starting with Budgerigar Dreaming and continuing with John Gould taking budgie specimens back to London in 1840. The interested in budgies exploded in England which triggered many thousands of birds being trapped and transported for profit.

The book is full of illustrations and photographs, including budgie illustrations done by Elizabeth Gould in 1837.
If you are a budgie lover, you will get a lot out of this book.

[Karen Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you are a bird enthusiast or not, Flight of the Budgerigar is a really interesting book, particularly the history which goes back millions of years to fossils. This little Aussie icon has become the most caged bird in the world, although I personally prefer to see birds in their natural habitat.
Budgie territory spreads far and wide throughout Australia and this well researched book is educational.
"Indigenous people of Australia have a deep history with the Budgerigar. they appear in legends of Indigenous groups such as the Waripiri. In the Kimberly the coming and going of budgies announces the seasons and their associated weather. They arrive with thunderstorms around the start of the wet season and breed at its end. Traditionally these times of abundance also provided sustenance to inland clans." Budgies have evolved to cope with extreme weather conditions and can survive for months without drinking water! Having said that many have perished when extreme weather conditions are persistent.
I am a horticulturist and as such love the natural world. I loved the fact that this little Aussie bird has entertained people from royalty to parliamentarians to every day people. They are clever and interactive.
In the 1800's the export and trade of budgies was phenomenal. In Australia between the 1840's and the 1870' suppliers could not keep up the demand for budgies in England.

The illustrations are excellent and as they say a picture tells a thousand words. At the back of the book there is a chart that includes indigenous Australian names for Budgerigars in different language groups.
I highly recommend this book. It would make an excellent gift for many people as well.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for any bird lover. I was in awe at the historical research and enamoured by the narratives of famous budgies! A little tedious in the large section about the transportantion and sale of budgies at one point. Maybe I'm just too soft- but I even shed a tear at the story of Churchill losing his beloved bird. How sweet they are, these lovely little Aussie campanions!

[Amanda Witt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting history of this little bird, told from the natural outback home to the rise in exports, and then showing for competitions and the colour variations that have evolved.