OPENING THEME 

LEVIN AND HARPER begins 

DEVON: Hello and welcome back to Kingdom: Animalia: the podcast where we cover all the facts about species in this amazing kingdom Animalia every episode. I’m your host, Devon– 

CHET: Chicka We’re your Chicka co-hosts, Chicka Chet– 

CAP: Chicka And Cap– 

DEVON: And we are joined again by my two budgies, Budgly and Rex. 

BUDGLY + REX: (Chirping) 

CAP: (angry) Chicka Wait… Chicka They’re back? 

DEVON: Can you please just get along for one more episode? 

CAP: Chicka Ugh. 

DEVON: Anywho… Aside from the chickadee/budgie drama… We’re picking up right where we left off in episode 14. So today on Kingdom: Animalia, we’re continuing to talk about the Budgerigar, Melopsittacus undulatus; the record holder of knowing the most human words as a non-human. Enjoy. 

MUSIC plays out 

ANIMAL MISCONCEPTIONS: DEBUNKED chime 

DEVON: Before we begin, I would like to clear up something up from last episode. Yes, it is time again for Animal Misconceptions: (echo) Debunked. 

In the previous episode of this budgie miniseries, I made a half ambiguous (open to interpretation), half not quite true statement. 

CHET: (shouting) 

Chicka What? Chicka You’re filling your listeners’ Chicka heads with misinformation? 

DEVON: Chet, you’re not even supposed to be in this segment. 

CHET: Chicka Fine. Chicka But this can and will be used against Chicka you in a court of law. 

DEVON: (groans) 

Let’s just roll the tape. 

The recording begins with a REWIND and then a CLICK. The sound of a CASSETTE TAPE MOTOR plays in the background. 

DEVON (in recording) 

Budgerigars experience contagious yawning, which has been interpreted as a sign of empathy, making them the only non-mammals to do this, though that doesn’t necessarily mean no other non-mammals have empathy. 

The recording ends. 

DEVON: That isn’t quite true. Let me break it down. 

MUSIC begins 

DEVON (CONT’D): The contagious yawning meaning empathy is actually just a theory. One of multiple theories, actually. So contagious yawning might not actually mean empathy. If you want to learn more about the other theories of contagious yawning, why empathy might not be the reason, and the theories of spontaneous (out-of-the-blue) yawning—and how we actually know very little about yawns—I linked a great episode from Unexplainable—one of my favorite science podcasts—in the show notes for this episode. And I have also corrected that inaccuracy in episode 14. That is all. This has been Animal Misconceptions: (echo) Debunked. 

ANIMAL MISCONCEPTIONS: DEBUNKED chime 

MUSIC plays out 

DEVON: Alright. We’re kicking this episode off with communication. You might not have noticed from Budgly and Rex, as I edit out their chirping when I’m talking, but budgies are VERY talkative. And when I say very, I mean (echo and reverb) VERY. (normal) Like very very. 

MUSIC fades in 

DEVON (CONT’D): Sometimes when I’m watching TV, I can barely hear it over their chirping from a room and a short hall away from me. But enough about me. Budgerigars can often be heard chattering and/or warbling with the occasional screech. Their contact call (something like saying, “Hey, I’m over here”) is a “chirrup,” and their alarm call for danger is a “zit” sound. 

BUDGLY + REX: (Chirping) 

DEVON: Mates address each other using unique contact calls so they can find their partner in a large, loud flock of chattering budgies, much like how you’ll recognize your name being called out in a bunch of other people talking. Scientists have found that they get these unique contact calls in the nest. After hearing their parents using each other’s signature call, they start making their own, unique call that is similar, but not identical, to those of their parents. 

MUSIC fades out 

DEVON: As you might know by now, some budgies are very good at imitating human speech. 

CAP: Chicka You said it at the beginning of this and Chicka the last episode. Chicka And one of the fun facts in the last Chicka episode was about the budgie who was the Chicka non-human animal with the largest English vocabulary. 

DEVON: Right. 

FUNKY, UPBEAT JAZZ MUSIC (CAVEMAN) begins 

DEVON (CONT’D): So when kept as pets, they can learn to imitate a variety of sounds around their home, including the speech of their owner or owners. Though males are usually more open to speaking, a young budgie—male or female—can learn to be a great talker with the proper training on their owner’s end. There are even budgies that have gotten famous from this, including Disco, who has a YouTube channel and has appeared on TV! 

MUSIC pauses 

DISCO (in recording): Disco budgie in the house tonight, eat some millet and have a good time! 

(singing) The Disco, meet the Disco, he’s daba-daba-doo bird. A daby-okay birrrd. 

(beatboxes) 

I’m a parakeet. Bird to your mother. 

MIC DROP MUSIC resumes 

Though it is important to note: they usually don’t actually understand what they are saying, they are merely mimics. However, they may—may—be able to learn things like object names with very good training. But if you’re getting pet budgies, you shouldn’t count on it. Or count on them becoming YouTube and TV stars. More about getting pet budgies in the next episode. 

CAP: Chicka You hear that, Budgly and Rex? Chicka Budgies are usually only Chicka mimics! 

DEVON: You do know that chickadees don’t make human sounds at all, right? 

CAP: Chicka Do you think we want to sound like Chicka you humans? Chicka I mean, eww! 

DEVON: Alright, you do not have to insult us, Cap. 

CAP: Chicka But it was the perfect opportunity! 

MUSIC fades out in the background 

DEVON: Moving on… You may be wondering how they actually do this. I’ve explained what they do, but not how they actually do it, especially… with no voice box AKA larynx! If you’re wondering what that is, it’s the organ in your throat that you use to speak. Instead, birds have what is called a syrinx, which is pretty much the avian version of a larynx. So let me explain the how of budgie (and other parrot) imitation. 

CHET: Chicka No. 

DEVON: “No” what? 

CHET: Chicka You said to let you explain, but I Chicka won’t. Chicka So no. 

DEVON: Chet, it’s just a phr–never mind. I will now explain. 

ENERGETIC POP MUSIC (FAST POP) begins 

DEVON (CONT’D): Parrots have a few traits—characteristics—that allow them to do this: the first is they have a uniquely shaped tongue. Yes, their tongue. And second, they have highly mobile beaks. You may have noticed we use our tongue and mouth movements a lot in speech. Try talking with your mouth open and not moving. 

MUSIC pauses 

DEVON (CONT’D): (pauses briefly) A little tricky, right? Now you can move your mouth, but don’t move your tongue at all. (pauses again) Pretty hard. Now, don’t move your mouth or your tongue. (pauses again) I doubt your having any deep, philosophical conversations like that. 

MUSIC continues 

DEVON (CONT’D): “But wouldn’t other kinds of birds already have that arrangement in order to make their regular bird sounds?” you might be asking? Not really. They depend more on their complex syrinxes to produce sounds, which is why not all birds can imitate other sounds (though having the same features as parrots is not necessarily required for this ability; take crows and ravens, for example). Even though not all feathered human-mimics have the unique tongue or especially movable beak, they are quite helpful additions for the endeavor. 

Scientists have found that budgies can not only simply mimic the sounds, they can also recognize abstract patterns in phrases and language, meaning they are the only non-human species to be known to understand simple grammar. That’s because grammar is partially about the abstract patterns in phrases and language. Though their ability to do this is only around that of a 7-month-old human child, it is still pretty impressive for a bird—which is a very different animal from us—to understand the same thing. 

MUSIC ends 

DEVON: That brings us to our next segment. It’s time for Experiments. 

EXPERIMENTS STING plays 

DEVON (CONT’D): Today we’re talking about the experiment that led to the discovery of budgies’ pattern detecting talent. 

CURIOUS MUSIC begins 

DEVON (CONT’D): So this all started with two researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands named Michelle Spierings and Carel ten Cate. They decided it was time to give six unsuspecting budgies a little grammar pop quiz. So they put the budgies in individual cages, each equipped with a button, closed off food, and a light. 

For the first part of this experiment, the researchers played these budgies numerous collections of sounds. Each collection was made up of the same three sounds, two the same, and one different. Half of the collections had the sounds arranged in the pattern X-X-Y and half with the sounds arranged in the pattern X-Y-X. It would be like if half were chirp-chirp-tweet and the other half were chirp-tweet-chirp (though those weren’t the actual sounds). 

Each time they pecked the button after hearing the pattern X-X-Y or did not peck the button after hearing X-Y-X, they would get a food reward; but if they pecked or didn’t peck at the wrong time, the researchers turned off the light in their cage for 10 seconds, which the subjects did not enjoy. 

Once the budgies became familiar with this system, they put them through the real test to see whether they could actually recognize the patterns. The researchers played them 24 new clips, each made up of completely different sounds, the only constant was that they were all X-X-Y or X-Y-X patterns. This required them to be able to recognize the pattern, regardless of the actual sounds they were hearing. And, low and behold, the budgies passed with flying colors. No pun intended. Okay, it’s kind of intended. 

This test was simultaneously done with Zebra Finches, which are also adept vocal learners. (Vocal learning, by the way, is the ability to learn and implement new vocalizations.) The Zebra Finches did not show the ability that the budgies had; instead, they made connections between collections based on the position of the sounds in the collection. For instance, if in the first part where all the collections used the same sounds, the correct collection was chirp-chirp-tweet, they would also peck for tweet-twitter-tweet in the second part where each collection used different sounds. The patterns are different, but they both end in ‘tweet.’ Though this is still noteworthy, it is not what the study was looking for. 

While we don’t yet know if any other animals have this pattern-recognizing ability, the Budgerigars in this Budgerigar/Zebra Finch study are the first clear example of any non-human animals having it. Not only that, but this also further shows how vocal learning has convergently evolved in birds and humans (convergent evolution is when two unrelated organisms evolve similarly). 

MUSIC ends 

DEVON (CONT’D): You can read more about the study I just talked about by clicking the link the show notes or going to the page for this episode which is at kingdomanimaliapod.com/budgiesode2 (that’s two the number, not the word). For this episode, that’s it for Experiments. 

EXPERIMENTS STING plays 

DEVON: I’ve explained what they imitate and how they imitate, but not why they evolved this ability in the first place. 

CAP: Chicka So do! 

DEVON: I will… In a little segment we call Animal Investigations. 

ANIMAL INVESTIGATIONS STING plays and music begins 

CAP: Chicka Option number Chicka one: To attract mates? 

DEVON: Many birds imitate the sounds of other birds, animals, and even machines to attract mates, as it displays intelligence and imitating many sounds displays age and experience. For example, male mockingbirds imitate many different sounds to attract females. But is this the case with budgies? Oh you know already, I wouldn’t give it to you as the first option! No. 

INCORRECT BUZZER 

DEVON (CONT’D): Budgies do not make displays with such songs rich with the sounds of other species or machines at all, unlike mockingbirds and other species that mimic for attracting mates. So option one… is a no go. 

ANIMAL INVESTIGATIONS STING 

CAP: Chicka Option number Chicka two: Trickery to get food? 

DEVON: Some birds use mimicry to trick other animals. For instance, Blue Jays and Steller’s Jays imitate hawks to scare smaller birds off of food so they get it all to their jay selves. Similarly, Fork-tailed Drongos imitate the alarm calls of meerkats to steal their food. But is this the case with budgies? Short answer: no. 

INCORRECT BUZZER 

DEVON (CONT’D): To disprove this option and further disprove the last one, budgies don’t even mimic sounds in the wild. So they can’t be using quote-on-quote “scary” sounds to scare other birds or animals off food if they’re not even imitating in the wild. So option number two… is a no go. 

ANIMAL INVESTIGATIONS STING 

CAP: Chicka Option number Chicka three: Mate recognition? 

DEVON: Imitation might aid in recognizing mates in large flocks. Is this the case with budgies? Short answer: yes. 

DING-DING-DING 

DEVON (CONT’D): Budgerigars don’t mimic any other species in the wild; they actually mimic each other! Remember those unique contact calls? I said mates use them to recognize each other in large flocks, but they don’t only use their own call. They adapted and refined their mimicking abilities to imitate each other’s calls, so they can basically say their mate’s name. And this ability, combined with their beak and tongue, makes them great mimics of people. So option number three… is the answer. 

ANIMAL INVESTIGATIONS STING MUSIC fades out 

PREDATORS ALARM plays 

DEVON: Uh oh 

CHET: Chicka It’s that time! 

CAP: Chicka No! 

ALARM ends 

DEVON: It is. It’s time… for predators. 

TENSE DETECTIVE LOOPED DRONE begins 

DEVON (CONT’D): Their main predators are snakes; larger birds, such as hawks and falcons (fun fact: falcons and parrots are actually closely related); and humans. Rats, other rodents, and feral cats also occasionally steal eggs from budgie nests and sometimes predate adults. That’s all for predators. 

BUDGLY + REX: (Chirping) 

MUSIC fades out 

DEVON: Budgerigars have a wide range across their natural habitat. 

WOODBIRD THEME begins 

DEVON (CONT’D): They live across most of mainland Australia except for Cape York and coastal areas in the far east, north, and southwest. Though they usually stay away from coastal regions altogether, they are occasionally found in coastal areas in the northeast and central south. 

Budgie populations migrate north in the winter to find food. But that’s just their wild population. Because they are very common as pets, pet budgies escaping to new environments is inevitable. There are escaped budgie populations all around the world, including Japan; Switzerland; New Zealand; South Africa; and mainland United States, as well as Puerto Rico. Despite ranging so widely, the only fairly stable and well-established escaped population is in southwest Florida in the US. Back to wild Budgerigars, their wild populations are mostly found in semi-arid (dry, but with more rain than arid, which is little to no rain) and sub-humid (slightly humid) habitats; however, they sometimes live in dry grasslands in southeastern Australia. 

MUSIC ENDS 

DEVON: And now, another happy edition of Conservation Corner. 

CONSERVATION CORNER STING plays 

DEVON (CONT’D): That’s because budgies are doing well. 

WATERFALL begins 

DEVON (CONT’D): Their conservation status is Least Concern, meaning currently their populations are stable and not in decline. This is especially good in light of the fact that many parrot species (about a third of them) are unfortunately in decline. Budgies breed easily and often. Due to this, their worldwide population is well over (echo and reverb) 5 million birds. (normal) And it’s still growing! 

BUDGLY + REX: (Chirping) 

MUSIC ends with echo on cymbal roll 

DEVON: This has been Conservation Corner. 

CONSERVATION CORNER STING plays 

DEVON: Now, who’s ready for some more fun facts? 

CAP: Chicka Me. 

BUDGLY + REX: (Chirping) 

CHET: Chicka If I say no, does it negatively affect my Chicka performance review? 

DEVON: Huh? 

CHET: Chicka Nevermind. Chicka Just roll the music. 

MUSIC begins 

CHET (CONT’D): Chicka Fact number Chicka one. 

DEVON: You may remember that in the last episode’s Animal Misconceptions: Debunked segment, I explained how Budgerigars, also called budgies, are a type of parakeet, which is a kind of parrot. But “Budgerigar” and “budgie” are not the only names for this bird. Ohhh, not even close. In the US, they are often simply called the “Common Pet Parakeet,” “Parakeet Budgerigar” (even though there aren’t any non-parakeet Budgerigars), 

 simply “parakeet,” or even just “keet.” What up, ‘keet? 

BUDGLY + REX: (Chirping) 

DEVON: In Australia, wild budgies are often referred to as “Shell Parakeets,” to differentiate them from pet budgies. Other names less commonly used include (taking deep inhales every few names) “Grass Parakeet,” “Warbling Grass Parakeet,” “Canary Parakeet,” “Warbling Canary Parakeet,” “Scallop Parrot,” “Zebra Parakeet,” and, last but not not least, “Flight Bird.” One of my sources, Omlet, describes this name as quote “wonderfully unimaginative” end quote. I couldn’t have said it better myself. 

CHET: Chicka Fact number Chicka two. 

DEVON: The name Budgerigar is derived from the Aboriginal Gamilaraay (sorry if I am mispronouncing that) name betcherrygah, which is thought to be made up of two words; the first, “betcherry,” meaning “good,” and the second, “gah,” meaning “parakeet.” It is not quite clear what the “good” part means; it could be in reference to their looks (as in, “good-looking”), it could be in reference to how they can lead the Gamilaraay people to food and water sources (as in, they do good things), or it could even be in reference to how they were a common food source for the Aboriginal people (as in, “tasty”). This confusion is increased by another theory that it is onomatopoeic, that is, it imitates the warbling, twittering, calls. I guess I can kind of hear that. 

CHET: Chicka Fact number Chicka three. 

DEVON: Unlike their common name, their scientific name is pretty straightforward. Melopsittacus is Greek for “melodious parrot,” in reference to their voices, and undulatus is Latin for “undulated,” in reference to the pattern on their back and wings. 

CHET: Chicka Fact number Chicka four. 

DEVON: Scientists know more about the biology of budgies than they do for any other species of parrot. 

CHET: Chicka Fact number Chicka five. 

DEVON: Budgerigars have made some important contributions to science. For instance, they were early subjects in research that led to the discovery of how genes get passed down from generation to generation. 

BUDGLY + REX: (Chirping) 

CAP: Chicka You brag about that one more time, Chicka and I’m gonna make you wish that you inherited the genes for Chicka full body armor. 

DEVON: Woah, woah. There is no need to get violent, Cap. 

CAP: Chicka Relax, I don’t have any way Chicka to get into their cage. Chicka Absolutely no way. Chicka I am completely powerless and Chicka harmless. 

DEVON: (suspicious) Okay… 

CHET: Chicka Fact number Chicka six. 

DEVON: Budgerigars’ closest relatives are the Ground Parrot and Night Parrot (both of Australia). You can actually see the resemblance, both being small, lime-green parrots covered in a dense, black scallop pattern. 

MUSIC ends 

DEVON: And that just about wraps up this episode of Kingdom: Animalia. 

ROCK OUTRO MUSIC (IGNITION) begins 

DEVON (CONT’D): If you want to read along with the transcript, check my facts with my references, test your memory with the memory quiz, or have a laugh with the miniseries comic, you can find links in the show notes or go to kingdomanimaliapod.com/budgiesode2 (that’s two the number, not the word). A lot of the music in this episode is by Blue Dot Sessions and this amazing outro theme is by the duo known only as Gvidon. 

CHET: Chicka If you like this podcast, then chances are Chicka someone you know would too. Chicka You can help us out and give someone a Chicka great new podcast to listen to by spreading the word about Chicka us. Chicka It makes a bigger difference to us than you might Chicka think. Chicka Tell your friend. Chicka Your teacher. Chicka Your cousin. Chicka Even your neighbor’s cat that keeps climbing over their fence. 

MUSIC pauses 

DEVON: Wait, that’s it? 

CHET: Chicka Yeah, were you expecting something Chicka else? 

DEVON: No, it’s just that you and Cap usually take that to some very weird and/or dark place. 

CHET: Chicka Oh, I only left out the part where Chicka the cat is climbing their fence in order to Chicka collect your dropped hair and Chicka skin cells so they can harvest your Chicka DNA and create the biological shell for a robotic replica to Chicka replace you because I wasn’t sure if any of the Chicka listeners had that situation, or it was just Chicka you. 

DEVON: Where do you even get these ideas? 

CHET: Chicka Your neighbor told me. Chicka I’d tell you to ask Chicka her, but she’s already been Chicka replaced. 

HORROR IMPACT 

DEVON: I think you take sci-fi movies a little too seriously, Chet. Let’s just carry on, shall we? 

MUSIC continues 

DEVON (CONT’D): (clears throat) 

If this podcast gives you value (in education, or in entertainment, or in some other way) and you are financially able to pay 4, 10, or 15 US dollars-a-month, we would really appreciate it if you became a Kingdom: Animalia Podcasts Plus member (joining the one person already supporting) at kingdomanimaliapod.com/support. A KAP Plus membership helps me pay the bills for my podcasts without screaming at you about why you need to invest in some mattress or internet provider. All members also get a shout-out in this podcast and one-week early access to the next seasons of Where Are the Chickadee Brothers? when season 2 starts up. A higher plan can get you more perks such as second guesses to the riddles and behind-the-scenes content. That’s kingdomanimaliapod.com/support for as little as 4 US dollars a month to help your resident podcaster pay the podcast bills. And just make sure not to sign up using the Patreon iPhone/iPad app, because that has an extra fee because Apple takes a cut. But, if you can’t afford to pay, just spreading the word is a big help as well. 

You can send in questions, comments, episode suggestions, or just verification that I’m not just talking into the void and all of the download numbers are from Chet and Cap (seriously, though, it means a lot) to animals@kingdomanimaliapod.com or at kingdomanimaliapod.com/contact (links are also in the show notes). 

There is no riddle for the next episode because it is the budgie miniseries series finale. 

So, until next time, never underestimate the scientific discovery potential of your humble pets, and keep exploring this amazing kingdom Animalia. Bye! 

CHET: Chicka Bye! 

CAP: Chicka Smell ‘ya later! 

BUDGLY + REX: (Chirping) 

MUSIC plays 

The episode BLOOPER plays 

MUSIC plays out 

CAP: Chicka Don’t mind the boxing gloves or the Chicka busted punching bag. Chicka I’m still completely Chicka harmless and powerless.

Australian Museum. (2023, February 28). Budgerigar. https://australian.museum/learn/animals/birds/budgerigar

Barras, C. (2016, June 20). Budgies Use Grammar to Find Meaning in Unfamiliar Phrases. New Scientist. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2094452-budgies-use-grammar-to-find-meaning-in-unfamiliar-phrases

Birdfact. (2022, August 1). Why Do Birds Imitate Sounds? (Complete Guide). Birdfact. https://birdfact.com/articles/why-do-birds-imitate-sounds

Birdorable. (n.d.). Birdorable Budgerigar. Retrieved November 19, 2023, from https://www.birdorable.com/meet/budgerigar

Bush Heritage Australia. (n.d.). Budgerigars. Retrieved November 19, 2023, from https://www.bushheritage.org.au/species/budgerigars

Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (2013, December 15). How a Parrot Learns Its Name in the Wild. Bird Academy. https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/how-a-parrot-learns-its-name-in-the-wild

Elliott, P. (2022, November 7). How to Choose a Good Budgie. wikiHow. https://www.wikihow.com/Choose-a-Good-Budgie

This wikiHow article was reviewed by an actual doctor (Dr. Pippa Elliott, MRCVS).

Middleton, A. (2016, June 21). Birds Learn Artificial Grammar. Cosmos. https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/biology/polly-wants-a-conjunction-birds-learn-artificial-grammar

Morell, V. (2014, May 1). African bird shouts false alarms to deceive and steal, study shows. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/140501-drongo-kalahari-desert-meerkat-mimicry-science

National Audubon Society. (n.d.). Budgerigar. Retrieved November 19, 2023, from https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/budgerigar

Omlet. (n.d.). Parakeet Names | Introduction to Parakeets | Parakeets. Retrieved November 19, 2023, from https://www.omlet.us/guide/parakeets/introduction_to_parakeets/parakeet_names

Ross, H. (2023). Budgerigar. In AZ Animals Staff (Ed.), AZ Animals. https://a-z-animals.com/animals/budgerigar

Schwartz, R., & Monet, E. (Hosts). (2022, April 1). April Fools: Masters of Deception (season 1, episode 19). In Amazing Wildlife: A San Diego Zoo Podcast. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. https://omny.fm/shows/amazing-wildlife-a-san-diego-zoo-podcast/april-fools-masters-of-deception

Sims, K. (2001). Melopsittacus undulatus (budgerigar). Animal Diversity Web. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Melopsittacus_undulatus