What The Budgerigar Can Teach Us About Parrot Care, with Dr Amy Zhao

The budgerigar is one of the world's most popular parrots. These small grass parakeets have captivated the world for many decades and, as a result, are at the center of many studies looking into their biology, nutrition, reproduction, and behavior. These studies unlocked a world of knowledge about them--their opportunistic breeding behavior, how they regulate their reproductive hormones and egg laying, their unique nutritional needs, and more. While the budgie is certainly a unique species among the world of parrots, we see many of these themes popping up across many other parrot species in very similar ways. Our knowledge of the budgerigar provides with important insights into how we can best manage these other species where studies do not exist. Dr. Amy Zhao is an animal scientist living in Boston with her small flock of budgies and Gandalf the cockatiel. She earned her B.S. in Animal Science from Cornell University in May 2014 and continued to earn her PhD in Animal Science specializing in animal physiology and molecular and cell biology from Cornell University in July 2019. During her time at Cornell, she has worked with and taken classes in management and husbandry for many animal species including sheep, cattle, horses, birds of prey, and of course, parrots. She also spent 8 years as a teaching assistant for courses including Domestic Animal Biology, Animal Nutrition, Domestic Animal Behavior, and Comparative Animal Anatomy and Physiology. Dr. Zhao has 15 years of teaching experience in biology, physiology, nutrition, and behavior and more for students ranging from elementary to the graduate level. She continues to expand her expertise through additional continuing education in nutrition, physiology, and applied behavior analysis. Today she uses her experience and knowledge to help guide other budgie owners on their journey to care for their pet budgies. Dr. Amy Zhao also completed Dr. Susan Friedman’s Living and Learning with Animals course in 2022.