Merlin is about 4 year old and he has a young female friend since last October. Although she is very young (9.5 months), she has a brown ceres already, only for the past 2 weeks I'd say. Merlin isn't courting her but they are definitely bonded and enjoy each other's company.
Now I've notice that for the past 2 months, Merlin has added a couple of undertones to his usual chirp/singing and I wondered what it was, if it is common, means anything special or is just something he found out and enjoys doing... I have no recording yet. I'll try to get one, but of course he stops each time I take the camera out so I don't know how long time it will take.
To describe it, he sings, then suddenly I can hear a tone under his song (he doesn't interrupt the song to make that tone) which sounds very much like a cuckoo, with much air in the texture. Then that tone would come back a little later, or he would make a lower one. He never repeats the lower one, he starts again at the first one, like let's say, a donkey or again, a cuckoo, would always have their sounds in the same order.
I believe the tones to be a D and an A, and the melody would look like this:
Chirping line: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Undertones: ...........A...........D...........A...........D...........A...........A...........D...........A........... D
Not easy to explain, but I would think those of you who've noticed your budgies doing it should get it. I'm working on trying to get a recording!!
Now I've notice that for the past 2 months, Merlin has added a couple of undertones to his usual chirp/singing and I wondered what it was, if it is common, means anything special or is just something he found out and enjoys doing... I have no recording yet. I'll try to get one, but of course he stops each time I take the camera out so I don't know how long time it will take.
To describe it, he sings, then suddenly I can hear a tone under his song (he doesn't interrupt the song to make that tone) which sounds very much like a cuckoo, with much air in the texture. Then that tone would come back a little later, or he would make a lower one. He never repeats the lower one, he starts again at the first one, like let's say, a donkey or again, a cuckoo, would always have their sounds in the same order.
I believe the tones to be a D and an A, and the melody would look like this:
Chirping line: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Undertones: ...........A...........D...........A...........D...........A...........A...........D...........A........... D
Not easy to explain, but I would think those of you who've noticed your budgies doing it should get it. I'm working on trying to get a recording!!
, trying to record him singing I discovered that Nova is also singing those undertones 
, but much lighter, which is why I didn't notice it before. I guess Merlin has always had them and just made them stronger those past weeks... As a courting trick, or because he is getting more mature, who knows... 
