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Budgies are small birds that can light up a home with their bright colors and cheerful chattering.

The formal name of these sweet little birds is “budgerigar,” which has been shortened to “budgie.”

Although they are sometimes called parakeets, “budgie” is the term for the common pet bird, while “parakeet” refers to a larger group of small parrots, of which the budgie is a member. In other words, all budgies are parakeets, but not all parakeets are budgies!

Here are 10 cool facts you might not know about budgies.

When you hear the word “pet,” an image of a dog or a cat most likely pops into your head. But what about adopting a capybara or taking your chimpanzee for a ride in your car? These animals are considered exotic pets and are becoming more popular.

According to therichest.com, more than 20 million Americans own some type of exotic animal. There is no official rule that determines what types of animals are considered to be exotic pets, but that classification usually refers to any type of animal that is not often kept as a pet, especially one that is not native to the owner’s location. For example, hamsters and goldfish would generally not be considered exotic, but monkeys and hissing cockroaches might be. Because the term is so subjective, getting an exotic pet might not always mean getting an extremely dangerous or high maintenance wild animal.

The legal regulations on exotic pet ownership in the United States vary by state. 34 states ban at least some types of “dangerous wild animals,” as shown on a map from humanesociety.org, while five states have no laws whatsoever forbidding the ownership of exotic pets. Eleven states do not ban any animals as pets, but require a permit to own certain species.

According to www.kshb.com, a summer camp in Merriam, Kansas encourages kids to read to animals at a no-kill shelter.

Kids between the ages of 8 and 12 who signed up for a week of Young Heroes For Pets Summer Camp at the Great Plains SPCA in June or July spend their days doing a series of activities which “emphasizes kindness, respect, responsibility, decision-making as well as movement, play, cooperation, problem-solving, reading and writing,” according to the camp’s web page. At the end of the week, each camper is awarded a Young HEROES certificate in front of friends and family.

“When the kid is reading to the pet, they tend to correct themselves,” said Rachel Hodgson, the Great Plains SPCA’s communications director, to KSHB Kansas City. “Their confidence boosts up and then we get the phone calls from the very happy parents that their kids are getting up to the next reading level.”