Budgies by blacklight!

[leelastarsky]

Did you know that budgies see into the UV spectrum? And that to other budgies, certain parts GLOW. Well, as soon as I heard this, I had to get a UV/blacklight so I could see my budgies the way they see each other...



Hubby brought home a blacklight and my budgies showed their true colours!!

Pippin's face lit up like a neon light! And look at his 'blue' cheek patches!

Luna sort of glowed softly all over, specially her head and cheeks, like Pippin.

But poor little Pigwidgeon really didn't glow at all. Apparently blue budgies don't glow like the green ones do.

Spike is busily growing new feathers at the moment and his face is steadily going yellow (it's a BOY! XD), and look at the yellow feathers on his face glow! It looks all funny and patchy at the moment, but oh so cute.

(and, as an aside, I have to mention - Spike walked along the kitchen bench tonight to my hand and stepped onto it by his own choice! This is the bird who hates hands!! I didn't ask him to step up at all. Just rested my hand on the bench to see what he'd do, and he looked at me carefully and I could see him make up his mind, and then he walked down the bench to me and stepped onto my hand! So exciting!! Darling birdie!!)
And another of Pippin cos he's SO pretty!!


And here's a youtube vid I made the other night. Please excuse the dialogue in the background - the family were watching "The Mist" (and are still wibbling about it!)

Comments

[moonshape.livejournal.com]

that's so pretty!

[acusa-dora.livejournal.com]

That is so cool! I love the pictures-especially the detail of the feathers.

[girlspell.livejournal.com]

Budgies...I'm guessing their parakeets? We call them that in the states. I prefer the name budgie though.

Terrific pictures.

[leelastarsky.livejournal.com]

Budgie is short for Budgerigah, which is the Aboriginal name for these wee parrots. (and means 'good to eat'! O.o)
Not sure why the US calls them parakeets. They're budgies in the UK.

I'm ludicrously excited seeing them with the UV. ;~P

[leelastarsky.livejournal.com]

Isn't it?! XD

[leelastarsky.livejournal.com]

They come out much pinker in the photos for some reason. They look much more yellow and orange in real life. :~)

[chanel19.livejournal.com]

That's really interesting. I'd never heard that about birds and black lights.

[leelastarsky.livejournal.com]

I first heard about it on a brilliant doco about Aussie parrots (http://www.abc.net.au/tv/documentaries/interactive/parrots/), and they only mentioned it with the budgies, so I'm not sure about other parrots. That said, we shone it on Spike, the cockatiel, and the yellow in his face glowed.

It's part of budgies breeding preference - the girls go for the boy that glows the brightest. :~) And apparently blue budgies don't have it (poor babies!), so to breed blue budgies you have to keep them separate from green ones!

[gmth.livejournal.com]

What a beautiful set of pictures! :-)

[suehypno.livejournal.com]

That is freakin' awesome!! You know, I'd heard about that before but never really thought much more about it. Thanks for the visual confirmation.

[vegablack62.livejournal.com]

I love Budgies. My daughter had a blue male for years, how sad that he was unattractive to females of his own kind. I loved the way Pippin's face patches glowed.

[leelastarsky.livejournal.com]

It's not that they're UNattractive to the females, just not as attractive as the pretty green boys. ;~)

[leelastarsky.livejournal.com]

Isn't it fabulous?! I was so excited when I heard about it, and have been hunting for a UV light ever since.

[leelastarsky.livejournal.com]

Thankyou! I'm excited, but then I'm quite silly over my birdie babies, but I just can't help myself! ;~P

[naadi.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's awesome! I knew about this, but had never tested it to actually see it. They are so pretty. ^.^

[vegablack62.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to hear they'd still have some interest in him. It's funny because I think humans like the blue ones better. We just don't think like a budgie. If we could see in the UV spectrum we'd have a different attitude. Thanks for the pictures.

[rickey-a.livejournal.com]

whoa cool!
(I can imagine what it might be like after a few beers;)

[clare-dragonfly.livejournal.com]

Whoa, that is SO cool! I wonder if other birds do that?

[hathorx.livejournal.com]

Oh my, that's so pretty!! I've always wanted to have budgies, they're adorable :)

[neoclover.livejournal.com]

WOW that is SO cool...amazing what one learns on the interwebs....

[magic-helmet.livejournal.com]

I have a moluccan cockatoo, I wonder if she would glow under black light too!

[doortoriver.livejournal.com]

That is lovely!

[kathleen44.livejournal.com]

Wow, I've never know that, interesting!

[leelastarsky.livejournal.com]

Wow! Aren't they one of the biggest and loudest of the cockatoos? Very pretty though. You must be a birdy person to have one of those! ;~)

[leelastarsky.livejournal.com]

Isn't it? I'd be so lost without it! *clings to interwebs*

[leelastarsky.livejournal.com]

I can't imagine my life without them. :~)

[leelastarsky.livejournal.com]

I need to know this too!!

[leelastarsky.livejournal.com]

Heh. ;~P

[leelastarsky.livejournal.com]

Aren't they pretty?! I suspect your little Pippin would look like our Pigwidgeon under UV, although, your Pippin seems to have darker blue cheek patches than our little blue boy, so they could well glow! And, it looks like the boys' blue cere glows too! :~)

[magic-helmet.livejournal.com]

Yeah, we've been together for the last 13 years.
She is big and she can be loud and she's going through her terrible teens at the moment, which means she is biting and laying eggs.

But she's also funny as hell, smart and a whip and cuddly.

And I'm lucky that she's not a morning bird. Most M2's are famous for "welcoming in the morning" at about 6 am. On the weekends she will sit quietly in her sleeping cage until 9:30 - 10:00. Often we're up and drinking our morning coffee before we hear her call to us.

All in all, she is a good bird - but I don't think I'd recommend them as a pet to anyone.

[featherofeeling.livejournal.com]

What a cool concept! And it's so pretty!

[luckycyberbunny.livejournal.com]

THAT IS SO COOL!!! OMG!

awww "Apparently blue budgies don't glow like the green ones do." darn... :/

and just because...This is Pearl... (http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a211/luckycyberbunny/pearl-1.jpg)

[leelastarsky.livejournal.com]

Pearl is so pretty!! Alot like my little Merlin (my first budgie when I was in my late teens).

I suspect Pearl's little blue cheek patches would glow. ;~)

[leelastarsky.livejournal.com]

Aren't they lovely?!

[leelastarsky.livejournal.com]

See! We learn something every day! ;~)

[leelastarsky.livejournal.com]

Aren't they pretty?!

[luckycyberbunny.livejournal.com]

really?! cool... :D If I ever find a black light, I will have to try it!! lol