As ever, the subject of exhibition budgies will no doubt raise its (big ugly?) head, whether at the shows themselves or via my email inbox. During last year’s show season I received many emails (none of which were for publication) which claimed that the breeding of budgerigars had gone too far.
Some questioned whether it was detrimental to the fancy to keep breeding big, brow-headed birds that look nothing like the wild budgerigars from which they descend.
Others claimed that the quest for size meant that the birds’ feathering had altered to the “point of no return”.
Personally, I do not think it is the Editor’s job to decide what a show budgerigar should look like – that is the role of the Budgerigar Society. Still, I thought it an interesting topic to debate: are exhibition budgerigars big and ugly? Regular contributor Jim Wright and editor-at-large Roy Stringer have agreed to battle it out – in a most gentlemanly manner, of course – in our next Hot Debate, which runs in the August 6 issue.
Obviously, it would be great to hear what you, the reader, think of this issue, whether you breed and keep budgerigars or not. If you’d care to send your thoughts, in roughly 50 words, to us by next Friday (July 31), we’ll choose a selection to run on the page. Please send to the usual address or email us with ‘Hot Debate’ in the subject line.
In the meantime, best of luck on the show bench!
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