Best time to travel to Northern Territory

Budgie Tornado in Northern Territory

A rare spectacle of thousands of budgies flocking in huge swarms

Budgie Tornado
Budgie Tornado
Budgie Tornado
Budgie Tornado
Budgie Tornado
Budgie Tornado

In a dry place like Northern Territory of Australia, these small nomadic birds flock around water sources and places with access to food. Usually, they can be seen in groups of about 200 species, but sometimes they tend to gather in huge swarms that reach hundreds of thousands.

That happens in Australia's Alice Springs when a flock finds a water source every day at sunrise and sunset. Huge numbers of budgies, trilling at the same time and flying all over, create different shapes trying to get their sip of water.

There's one sad thing about this magical spectacle: there are predators that hunt budgies especially during gatherings like this. Although scientists think that little green birds are trying to protect themselves by flocking in big numbers, predators like falcons still manage to catch some. So be prepared to see not only happy little budgies, but also cruel and hungry falcons hunting them.

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Last updated: by Eleonora Provozin