Bourke Parakeet or Budgie

[DMB13]

Just looking for opinions on Bourke Parakeets and Budgies to try and make a decision. Have done a fair bit of reading but looking for first hand knowledge.

Can't seem to find many Bourke breeders in the UK where I live.

 

[Synthem]

Howdy! Former Budgie owner here.

Bourke's Parakeets and Budgies are two very different birds. Budgies have behaviors that are very typical of parrots, and although they aren't considered to have "big bird personalities" they have many of the wonderful traits that people seek in medium — large companion parrots. I am sure you already know this, but budgies are notorious for being playful, extremely social, and relatively easy to train. People tend to underestimate their ability as parrots to do tricks, but budgies are actually one of the most intelligent and capable species of companion parrots, and by far the most trainable for their size.

I have never raised Bourke's parakeets, but have also read about them. Here's what I know:

They are considered one of the most quiet parrots, so if this is important to you it might be the better of the two options. They are gentle and calm, but also easily stressed. Bourke's do best in a peaceful environment. Homes that are very active, have lots of other pets or young children, may not be best for these birds. They are at a higher risk of going into shock and dying, and this should be taken into consideration when it comes to care and interaction.

Both budgies and bourke's (and all other birds) vary greatly in personality per individual. Some may be very cuddly, others may not tolerate cuddling at all.

I think the best way to decide would be to sit down and really ask yourself, "What do I want out of my bird?"

Questions like:

How do I fare with noise? Do I want / need a quiet parrot? Will constant chirping annoy me?
Bourke's are notoriously quiet. Budgies are quiet in comparison to other parrots, but they still chatter throughout the day. These noises are soft and not too loud. Some people find them cute and endearing, but others can find them obnoxious.

Do I want a bird who can learn tricks? A bird who can learn to talk?
Budgies can learn to perform tricks, and some (not all) can even learn to talk!

How active is my household? Is there a lot of noise or activity going on that might scare my bird?
Bourke's are gentle and calm birds who do best with gentle and calm people. They can become stressed easily.

Do I have a child in the house who will want to interact with the bird?
Although children should be supervised with birds of any kind, Bourke's are more fragile than Budgie's and are not recommended for children.

 

[DMB13]

Wow! brilliant! Thank you for all of the information it's very helpful!

Everyone seems to agree on budgies being great. Just have yet to speak to anyone who has had Bourke's and how they compare first hand.

 

[AUSAmature]

I know this is a late reply, but it might be useful for anyone else who is looking for an answer to this question in the future.
I have owned both a Budgie and a Bourke, but only one of each, so my experience is not final.
My budgie was loud and excitable, even in her old age. She loved to play with bells and mirrors, and even had a habit of dancing (Bobbing her head and scuttling along the branch) if she liked the music we played to her.
However, she was temperamental and quick to become aggressive. She strongly disliked any other budgies and so we kept her with the cocktails, giving up on finding her a mate. She was very good with raising our baby cockatiels, which we breed and sell, and could be very gentle when she wanted to be.

Our Bourke, on the other hand, is very quiet. It is rare to hear him twittering away, and when he does we all go silent to listen to his beautiful voice. He responds well to my attempts to mimic his call, and likes to twitter to me. He rarely clashes with the other birds, happily keeping to himself. He is great with the babies, watching them and running around on the tables and floor with them when they can't fly. He is nowhere near as playful, and we can not pick him up. If he feels like it, he'll land on us, but we can not get him to in any way.

In short, from my experience, the budgie is like an extrovert; Playful, loud, social, cuddly and so on.
A bourke is like an introvert; Quiet, gentle, and happy to sit.

There really is little in common, personality wise. There are pros and cons to both. If you want a loud, playful bird that you can watch, take videos of to post online, or teach to talk, a budgie is for you.
If you want a gentle, quiet bird that is happy to be left alone with other birds, occasionally sings quite beautifully, and is a generally tidy bird, I would recommend a bourke.

Again, they vary bird to bird. I cannot guarantee that they will all be like mine. My budgie, or example, ended up acting much more like a cockatiel the older she got, going as far as to mimic their whistles. That is likely a large influence in her behaviour.
But I hope this helps someone to pick which they would prefer.