# What Do Budgerigars Eat?

> What budgerigars eat: Herbivore (grass seeds, plants), foraging style, and seasonal shifts in Dry inland scrub and grassland (wild).

- **Species:** Budgerigar (*Melopsittacus undulatus*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Herbivore (grass seeds, plants)
- **Habitat:** Dry inland scrub and grassland (wild)
- **Lifespan:** 5–8 years, longer with good care
- **Top speed:** Up to 40 km/h (25 mph)
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/budgerigar/what-do-budgerigar-eat/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/budgerigar/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) is a small Australian parakeet and the world's most popular pet bird. In the wild it roams the dry inland scrub and grassland of Australia in huge flocks, feeding on grass seeds; as a pet it is prized for being friendly, hardy, and able to mimic speech. Budgies are about 18 cm long, weigh around 35 g, and fly fast at up to 40 km/h. They usually live 5 to 8 years, longer with good care.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a captive feeding plan from a veterinarian. This page is wild diet, not a pet-care sheet.

## A small parrot with a big personality

The budgerigar is a compact member of the parrot family, measuring about 18 cm long and weighing only around 35 g. Wild budgies are green and yellow with black barring across the wings and back, a pattern that camouflages them in dry grassland. Generations of selective breeding have produced pet colours far beyond the wild form, including blue, white, grey, and violet. A patch of coloured skin above the beak, the cere, is often blue in males and brown in breeding females.

## Help protect the Budgerigar

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/budgerigar/what-do-budgerigar-eat/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.