I have contacted this society on facebook. When I asked whether the society promotes wild or pet type budgerigars or the cobby show type but in a smaller size they replied:

 

We promote all of the above. But we are developing a standard. It is nothing like the modern English exhibition bird but tries to capture the essence of the Australian bird as a proud, bold, active, colourful little bird. The draft will be posted on our website soon.

 

Personally, I prefer the bigger birds but it looks interesting. The budgerigar may split into distinct show breeds as opposed to different colour varieties (+crests, longflights etc). There are dozens of canary, pigeon and poultry breeds in the world and it appears that soon there will be more than one breed of show budgerigar.

 

Drogo

Edited June 11, 201212 yr by Drogo

Just noticed I didn't add a link for the Miniature Budgerigar Society of Australasia's website:

 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Miniature-Budgerigar-Society-of-Australasia/210336612377289

That article is EXTREMELY misleading and full of non substantiated " facts" .......................one has to wonder at the motives of the interviewees

 

 

 

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-news/too-fat-to-fly-pudgy-budgerigars-rule-the-roost/story-e6freuzi-1226377866349?from=public_rss

I thought it was just a typical media beat up. I don't think anyone would take the author's angle too seriously and the person I spoke too on facebook didn't seem to be prejudiced against the modern show birds.

 

The only real news presented is that a Miniature Budgerigar Society held their first show and Don Burke is involved.

There's a HUGE amount of dissention been caused by statements made in this article.................such as pudgy non flying budgies and lack of health, and breeding for the $$$s inferred. Further statements made have not helped the situation either.......

As a bit of an outsider I think its a great idea, going back to the roots.

Have always thought those huge headed ones are not very attractive and look fake i na botox kind of way.

Hope there is room in this world for both camps

Edited June 15, 201212 yr by zneb67

I actually prefer the big birds but I don't oppose having two distinct show breeds.

 

If enough people can agree on a miniature standard and breed towards it, the "miniature" show budgerigar might get off the ground. I guess we will know in ten years time.

 

It is unfortunate that the article's tone is insulting, which does not reflect well on the Miniature Budgerigar Society.

I have heard it all now,What is Don Burke,trying to do, the same as he did to some of the Dog breeds.,

Its a money making exercise.It will be lucky to get off the ground.Miniture Budgie Shows.What next.!!!!!!!!!

I dont know to much about this incident however i have great intrest in the mini budgies thought it would be good for my kids to get involved there always trying to look after mums birds

There really is no miniature budgie. You can buy anything deemed a mini budgie at any pet shop or from any commercial backyard breeder.

 

As a bit of an outsider I think its a great idea, going back to the roots.

 

 

If they were going back to the roots they would be working with bush budgies. They arent. They are working with already modified birds from show culls and petshop stock.

Edited June 19, 201212 yr by **KAZ**

http://vimeo.com/12939910

In the USA they have 2 types of budgie already. The small kind and the bigger ones they call the English budgie. Is that the same thing?

Edited October 28, 201212 yr by phoenix

In the USA they have 2 types of budgie already. The small kind and the bigger ones they call the English budgie. Is that the same thing?

 

I don't think so. The small budgerigars the Americans call "American budgies" are just small pet shop birds. Why America thinks it invented the budgerigar I will never know.

In the USA they have 2 types of budgie already. The small kind and the bigger ones they call the English budgie. Is that the same thing?

 

I don't think so. The small budgerigars the Americans call "American budgies" are just small pet shop birds. Why America thinks it invented the budgerigar I will never know.

 

I wondered why they have English and American budgies when they all come from Australia.

I think it's fantastic. I can spend no money, time or effort at all trying to improve my birds and then sell them to unsuspecting SUCKERS who want to buy a "minature" budgerigar!!!

 

But seriously, go and buy a bird from any petshop, so long as it's pretty coloured and it will win at miniature shows. Where is there ANY challenge in that. AND for the record I'd challenge Mr Burke to come to my aviary and find a non-flyer.

 

He completed rooted the lovely crossbred mongrel with his stupid designer "Sh*t-Poos", "Cocka-shits" and "Malti-shits", he could have just left the poor old pet shop budgie alone..... wonder if we'll have miniture budgie mills, just like the puppy mills that pump out thousands of the Mr Burke endorsed "designer dogs".

 

Oh and Phoenix - English Budgerigar stems from the fact that the English, being the small livestock embassadores that they are, were the ones who initially spent the time increasing the size and feather of the budgies that were brought over to England from Australia originally. When they got re-imported to Australia they were distinguished from the smaller (non-improved) Australian budgerigars. The showies now tend to distinguish them by Show birds/Petshop birds. But I'd suggest it's a similar situation in the US with the improved birds being termed by the layman as English Budgerigars.

Edited November 23, 201212 yr by nubbly5

I am only new to budgies, but have been heavily involved in dogs all my life. I have never bred any dogs (although I live with five German Shepherds)! This is because I have seen the physical commitment and expense and time required to breed healthy pedigree dogs. Most breeders in the dog world are just as committed to their animals as the breeders on this site are to their budgies. While I have the commitment I don't have the money or time. Yet last year Don Burke published an article that extended over a number of issues which claimed that all pedigree dog breeders were puppy farmers. From this point on, I have not bought his magazine as a small personal protest. These claims were made internationally with the same level of spin and unsubstantiated hearsay and accusation as was to be found in the article at the beginning of this post. They were disrespectful and fundamentally false with poor knowledge or involvement in the hobby. As nubbly5 identified Don Burke has also been responsible for the growth of a market for cross bred dogs sold for an exorbident price rather than just cross bred dogs. He also tried to destroy pedigree breeding. My advice for the budgerigar fancy would be to avoid any contact with Don Burke as his actions in the dog world are easily transferred to the budgerigar fancy. Regardless of your opinion of miniature budgerigars, avoid contact with it until Don Burke has moved on to destroy his next hobby! Remember he will always have free and easy access to the media, and sadly in this country too many people still believe that if you're published you must know what you are talking about. It is unlikely any opposition within the fancy could compare to the media dictatorship of Don Burke.