So, just thinking out loud, I'm probably going to take a break from budgies once Beck and Poppy go, but I'm curious, are english budgies a lot more passive and calmer than american budgies? My 2 are just so flighty and afraid of everything, I was wondering if english are more cockatiel like.

English budgies are said to be a lot more mellow than American. But unfortunately they also have about half the life expectancy. When animals are bred to be bigger it tends to shorten their lifespan. This has happened with dogs too, the bigger breeds don't live as long as the smaller ones.

My Sweet Pea was an English budgie and he was great. Not flighty, friendly, loved to be held, gave kisses etc...but, he only lived to be six years old. The budgie I have now is flighty, won't come out of her cage, and perfectly happy to be alone in her cage. I too think I will give up budgies when she is gone. I just think Cockatiels are the bird for me...

Darn it Paula! SweetPea sounds great! Maybe one day I'll have a SweetPea myself.

It's just my american budgies don't do anything, and I feel like their life sucks, because all they do is sit in their cage, and I don't want that to be their life. I sometimes think about rehoming them, but I've had Beck since middle school and I don't know what would happen if they were somewhere else. English sounds more my pace. I don't care if they love to fly, but loving to fly and being flighty are 2 VERY different things.

I agree completely. My Bluebelle is not tame, and is not at all like the 'tiels. I loved my Sweet Pea, he was so much like my 'tiels. I admit his early demise was partly my fault and partly the fault of the person trimming his beak. He was a total seed junkie, and the only veg he would eat was peas or corn. Nothing else. So he wasn't well, he started plucking and his beak grew long, which of course was probably liver problems, and his demise was in the horizon. However the girl trimming his beak squeezed him while doing it and he died at her hand. But would I have another English Budgie? Yes, in a heartbeat. He was hand tamed, and I totally was in love with him, he was a great bird.

Yes, he sounds just lovely. I may have to use that name in the future if you don't mind.

Not at all

Guess mine are E/budgies... very feisty, luv doing stuff, play and chatter all day long...
The semi tame one Bryni, has turned the tamer one Sparkle, into a mould like himself... I don't mind as they are the best of friends...
Would I keep a couple of budgies....Yes they are a joy to sit and watch.. always seem so happy, but Tiels are my luv... above my P'lets!

I love my tiels too. They are my favorite birds.

Waffles, my english budgie (not tame at all) lives in the same cage with my two regular budgies. They all three differ in three main categories: 1) general tameness 2) general temperament and finally, my favorite, 3) how hard they freakin' bite.

Regular budgie male:

1) easily tamed but only with a good amount of daily work
2) flighty and sometimes screechy
3) medium bite, hurts but doesn't break the skin

Regular budgie female:

1) tamed with some difficulty
2) very flighty, yells a lot about every little thing (lol)
3) hard bite, breaks skin 50% of the time

English budgie male:

1) naturally fairly tame requiring little to completely tame
2) mellllloooow, but will screech to fit in with the cool kids
3) soft bite, to the point that if I don't see it, I don't feel it

Obviously, your budgies may vary but I think my experience is fairly typical. And, as others have said, as lovely as English budgies are in looks and general temperment, they do have very short life spans. I think something like 5-7 years for a healthy bird.