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The Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus, nicknamed
budgie), the only species in the Australian genus Melopsittacus, is
a small parrot belonging to the tribe of the broad-tailed parrots (Platycercini);
these are sometimes considered a subfamily (Platycercinae). In the
latter case, the budgerigar is sometimes isolated in a tribe of its
own, the Melopsittacini, although it is probably quite closely
related to Pezoporus and Neophema.[2] Though budgerigars are often
called parakeets, especially in American English, this term refers
to any of a number of small parrots with long flat tails. The
budgerigar is found throughout the drier parts of Australia and has
survived in the inlands of that continent for over 5 million
years.[3]
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