If you’re thinking about adding a parakeet to your family, you might be wondering are budgies loud and if they are how loud can the get? Birds in general are not known for being quiet and it can be a challenge to keep peace with the neighbours if you live in an apartment!
Are budgies loud? Let’s go into the loudness levels of budgies (the most common parakeet) and a few other parakeet species.
So, are budgies loud?
No, they’re not… as far as parrots go, that is.
Budgie parakeet sound levels should generally be low enough that you can have them in an apartment building without exasperating the neighbours. However, that doesn’t mean they’re silent, not by any means.
Like all parrots, budgies are naturally extremely social. They communicate through sound, using it to stay in contact with their flock members while they roost on different branches, fly or forage together. And as you can imagine, to be able to contact your flock member from one tree over, you have to yell pretty loud.
In addition to these loud flock calls, budgies make an array of different sounds. If they’re awake, there’s a good chance they’re producing noise! Males especially will spend part of the day singing and chattering. Females are generally quieter, although they’ll still produce flock calls and other simple sounds.
Of course, noise levels vary per individual. However, if you enjoy peace and quiet at all times, you’re better off considering a non-avian pet.
Other parakeets
Although budgies are the most popular parakeet species, they’re not the only parrots that fall into the parakeet group.
In case you were wondering about the noise levels of other parakeet species, let’s discuss some below.
- Indian ringneck parakeet: yep, these guys are pretty noisy. They love chattering and squawking. Example.
- Monk parakeet: not the loudest but they’re definitely not quiet. The best part is that they sound like squeaky toys. Example.
- Lineolated parakeet: not too loud, although their contact calls can be quite shrill. Example.
- Bourke’s parakeet: pretty quiet. A nice option if you find even budgies too loud, but remember, they’re not 100% silent either. Example.
- Rosella: they’re not exceptionally noisy but they do like to chatter throughout the day, which can be somewhat loud at times. Example.
Are parakeets loud at night?
We frequently get asked if parrots and parakeets are also loud at night. Not surprising: given the amount of noise they produce during the day, people are bound to wonder whether they’ll ever catch some shuteye again if they add a parrot to their family.
The good news is that parrots love sleep, and they love plenty of it. In our experience, once the lights go off, parakeets go into sleep mode. They might do some light sleep talking in the form of a few peeps and chatters, but other than that they should be quiet.
If your parakeet is noisy at night, something might be going on. You may need to cover the cage or see if you can find out whether something else is bothering your bird.
