An early variant spelling of 'budgerigar,' sometimes used to describe the small parakeet or used as an adjective relating to these birds.
Alternative spelling of 'budgerigar,' which comes from an Aboriginal Australian language (likely Dharug or related languages), meaning 'good cockatoo' or 'good eating.' This spelling preserves an earlier European interpretation of the Australian term.
The different spellings of budgerigar (budgeree, budgery, budgerigar) show English speakers struggling to write down an unfamiliar Aboriginal word—each spelling represents colonial encounters with Australian wildlife!
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