Any of 115 species in 30 genera (sub-family Psittacinae) of small
slender seed-eating parrots. Parakeets are small slender parrots that have
long pointed tapering tails. Most people think of the budgerigar when they think of a parakeet, but the budgerigar is one of many species of parakeet. They are commonly kept as pets and often sold very cheaply which results in large numbers of them being abused and dying well before their life expectancy is up. Parakeets can live up to
15 years or more, but often
don’t make it past
4 in captivity.