Parakeet, common name for the smaller members of the parrot family. As the name is based on size rather than on taxonomic relationship, members of about 15 diverse genera are called parakeets. Several are commonly kept as cage birds; the best known of these is the Australian budgerigar, which is the bird usually called parakeet in pet stores. Wild “budgies” are mostly green, but many color varieties have been bred in captivity. Budgerigars kept in captivity often mimic human speech, as do some other members of the parrot family.

The largest genus of parakeets in the tropical Americas contains 19 species, known in the cage-bird trade as conures. Closely related to these was the Carolina parakeet, which was once abundant in the southern United States but is now extinct, the last individual having died in captivity in 1918. It was about 30 cm [about 12 in] long, with a long, pointed tail, a green body, and a yellow head and orange face. Its extinction had several causes, but, primarily, it was shot as a severe pest in fruit-growing areas.

Scientific classification
Parakeets belong to the family Psittacidae. The Australian budgerigar is classified as Melopsittacus undulatus. Conures make up the genus Aratinga. The Carolina parakeet is classified as Conuropsis carolinensis.