When evaluating types of parakeets commonly available as pets, you’ll find your selection to be quite limited in pet stores. To find one of the more unique parakeets, you’ll need to contact a breeder.

Parakeet birds are small parrots with long tails and bright, cheery coloring and personalities. They are friendly and easily tamed. Most male parakeets can learn to mimic sounds and words. Because they are so affordable and friendly, parakeet pets are quite popular throughout the world. Here are some breeds to consider if you'd like to own a parakeet.

• Common Australian Budgie: The most common type of parakeet is the budgerigar, also called the budgie, a small parakeet found in practically every pet store in the United States. These cute, friendly birds grow to be six inches in length and are available in a wide variety of colors. They originate from Australia, are very hardy and are the least expensive of the parakeets. These birds are funny, relatively quiet, easily tamed and unintimidating.
• English Budgie: English budgies are larger in size and available in fewer colors than the Australian budgies. These birds are more expensive but can be quite showy in appearance. They are similar in personality and disposition to the common budgie.
• Monk Parakeet: This parakeet, also called a Quaker Parrot, is much stockier and larger in size, approaching the size of a cockatiel. These parakeets are far more expensive than the common budgie, but are considerably better mimics. These birds are assertive, lively and loud. They can be intimidating if you are not prepared to assert yourself as owner and boss of the house. These birds are much plainer in appearance than most budgies, with the common Monk Parakeet being almost entirely green. The rarer variations, blue, yellow and ice blue, are much more expensive.
• Alexandrine Parakeet: The Alexandrine Parakeet is another large breed, sometimes referred to as an Alexandrine Parrot. It has distinctive rings around its neck and is heavier in stature than common budgies. Alexandrine parakeets hail from Asia and are somewhat difficult to find in the United States. They are very social and loud, but not as bossy as the Monk Parakeet. They also don't mimic as well as a Monk Parakeet.