1: The original budgies were greeny-yellow in colour, and from this, other colours developed. The second colour was all-yellow, which was bred from a genetic mutation. The first blue budgie wasn’t seen until 1878!
2: Budgies can move and see out of each eye independently of the other one, which is known as having monocular vision.
3: A budgie can have up to 3,000 feathers in total across their whole body.
4: Budgies grind their beaks when they are happy and relaxed, similar to cats and purring!
The bones of budgies (and most other birds that are capable of flight) are hollow, and filled with air sacs rather than bone marrow.
5: Budgies have more vertebrae in their necks than humans do, allowing them to swivel their heads up to 180 degrees, or allow them to face backwards!
6: Budgies can only afford to lose between 10-12 drops of blood before their blood loss becomes fatal.
7: The skeleton of female budgies gains density during the breeding season, as she stockpiles calcium to support breeding. This can make the female budgie gain around 20% of her bodyweight during this time!
8: The shells of a budgie’s eggs are covered with pores, which allow oxygen and carbon dioxide to enter and exit the shell.
9: The patterns of light and the shortening and lengthening of the days tells the female budgie when it is breeding season. Artificial lighting can interfere with this.
10: In mammals such as humans, our lungs themselves expand and contract as we breathe, as air flows in and out. In budgies, the muscles of the chest cavity itself expands and contracts, to force air in and out.
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