Most budgie owners know that their birds dislike some colors. Plus, they can even freak out when spotting clothes, toys, or a piece of furniture in a particular shade. The question is which colors are scary for these parrots and what is the explanation for such hypersensitivity.
Many budgies are afraid of red, sometimes white and orange. According to experts, they connect red color with danger and enemies endangering their lives in nature. Such averse does not make sense in captivity, so fear of a specific shade can also be associated with a bad experience from a young age.
This article will show which colors budgies consider unattractive or even a sign of danger and ways to help your bird overcome it.
Is It True That Budgies Are Afraid of Colors?
Be aware that your budgie can recognize even the tiniest details thanks to its keen sense of sight, including particular colors. It is crucial for surviving, and most will be in readiness, although they never spent a day in nature.
The fascinating thing is that different birds won’t react to the same color identically. For instance, bright colors attract hummingbirds that adore pink, red, yellow, and orange.
On the other hand, most species, including budgies, hate red, orange, and white as a signal of aggression and danger.
Avian behaviorist Chris Davis claims that some parrots always fixate a particular color, typically red. She believes that these birds consider it a warning sign in the wild.
| Color | The level of fear colors cause in budgies |
| Red | Most budgies hate red and all shades in the red spectrum |
| Pink | Many budgies can’t stand pink |
| Yellow | Bright yellow is irritating for some budgies |
| Orange | It can be irritating to budgies, and they often avoid orange items and food |
| Gold | Some budgies find it disturbing and irritating |
| White | White can be comfortable and relaxing color for budgies, but some individuals prefer avoiding it |
Behavioral and evolutionary ecologist Sarah R. Pryke suggests that the red color can be a general intimidation signal among birds. In other words, most budgies will shy away from this shade even when they are born in captivity, although that fear is irrational in home conditions.
Most experts agree that birds typically don’t learn to fear a particular color and that feeling is probably innate. However, no clear evidence excludes the possibility of acquired fear.
For instance, maybe your budgie had an unpleasant experience with a person wearing something red and connected that experience with a particular color.
If you look back, you may also remember the moment your parrot got scared of the new red toy you had bought for it. Or, it freaked out when you suddenly entered the room dressed in a bright red piece of clothing.
Be prepared that almost anything can trigger such behavior, and the reasons are not always obvious.
What Is the Ultraviolet Vision In Budgies?
Humans and animals have an entirely different relation to colors. For instance, cats and dogs are dichromats and can only see two colors, green and blue, while humans are trichromats and can recognize three colors, green, red, and blue.
The situation with budgies is entirely different since they are tetrachromats, meaning they can recognize four colors. In other words, these birds see ultraviolet light besides regular green, red, and blue so that they will notice more things than you and experience color shades in an entirely different way.
This trait help parrots choose partners based on feather color or determine the food freshness. Believe it or not, they can even determine genders by using their possibility to see into the ultraviolet spectrum.
All these can be a base for the question of what is the real problem many budgies have with red color.
There is no relevant scientific evidence that the intensity of some shades can cause their animosity, not the color itself. However, it is reasonable to think that such a possibility exists.
Best Options to Help Your Budgie Stop Being Scared
According to owners’ experience, some tactics can help alleviate the fear of a particular color in your budgie. Unfortunately, no generally accepted strategy will help each of them.
In some cases, prevention is a key to solving the problem. You should put a few bright-colored toys around a baby bird to get it to overcome the fear as effortlessly as possible.
Once the fear occurs, there is not much hope to annul the damage, but you can reduce it to a reasonable level. In some cases, using food coloring and gradual dot-by-dot painting of the favorite toy can convince the budgie of its safety.
One of the most effective solutions is delicious treats. Pick out those in color your pet hates and offer them from time to time until it gets used to them and stops being afraid.
In some cases, this method will be successful, but you should be prepared that your budgie can continue hating the particular color even more.
Basically, it all depends on the bird’s temperament and the reason for its fear. The greater the trauma associated with a particular color, the less likely you will succeed.
Which Items In a Particular Color Can Scare Your Buddy the Most?
Interestingly, budgies can be afraid of some entirely harmless things besides predators, wild birds, sticks, brooms, and vacuum cleaners. Even everyday things can make a problem, such as:
- Balloons
- Towels
- New toys and perches
- Glasses
To make things even weirder, budgies are much more afraid of these ordinary things when they are red or orange. Some hypersensitive birds will even feel confusion and fear when noticing your red shirt, skirt, tie, or hat.
In such a situation, the best option you have is to avoid wearing red in front of your sensitive pet. Plus, it is better to avoid buying toys and gadgets in that color.
Warning!
Even though not all budgies develop animosity toward red color, those experiencing a problem with it in the past will try to avoid objects in that particular color. Keep in mind that some can even be aggressive toward red toys and food. In extreme situations, your budgie may attack people wearing red clothes.
