Are budgies legal in India?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
Yes. Budgies (budgerigars) are legal to keep in India. They are not Indian wild birds, so they are not in Schedule I or II of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, and Schedule IV, as amended in 2022, names the budgerigar among the parrots not included in the CITES appendices. You do not need a forest department registration for one.
The animal welfare law still applies. Buy only from a pet shop registered with the State Animal Welfare Board, keep your birds in a cage or aviary big enough to fly, and never buy a native parakeet, munia or myna sold alongside them: those are protected.
What exactly does the law say about budgies?
Budgies are mentioned by name, and the mention is an exemption.
The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022, published in the Gazette of India on 20 December 2022, rewrote the Act's Schedules. Schedule IV reproduces the CITES appendices. Its entry for parrots (Psittaciformes) lists all parrot species in Appendix II, except those in Appendix I and except Agapornis roseicollis (the peach-faced lovebird), Melopsittacus undulatus (the budgerigar), Nymphicus hollandicus (the cockatiel) and Psittacula krameri, 'which are not included in the Appendices'.
So the budgerigar sits outside Schedule IV. Section 49M of the Act, and the Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024 made under it, require owners to report and register living animals of species listed in Schedule IV. A species that is not listed there is outside that duty.
Budgies are also not among the Indian birds named in Schedules I and II, the lists of protected native wildlife. Those Schedules are why mynas, munias and native parakeets cannot be kept, as our answer on legal pet birds explains.
How do budgies compare with other small birds sold in India?
Read from the 2022 Gazette text. The scientific name is what counts, not the shop's label.
| Where it is listed | Forest registration? | Can you keep it? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Named as not included in Schedule IV | No | Yes |
| Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus) Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Named as not included in Schedule IV | No | Yes |
| Peach-faced lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis) Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Named as not included in Schedule IV | No | Yes |
| Other lovebirds, conures, most exotic parrots Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change | Schedule IV, Appendix II | Yes, within 30 days | Only if registered |
| Rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri) Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule II, Part B (native bird) | Not available | No |
| Red munia, scaly-breasted munia, common myna Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule II, Part B (native birds) | Not available | No |
The rose-ringed parakeet is named in the same Schedule IV exemption as the budgie, but only because it is not in CITES. As a native Indian bird it is protected in Schedule II.
What do sellers and old articles get wrong?
You may have read
All parrots are banned in India, so budgies are too.
Myth
What the sources say
No. The ban is on native wild birds. The budgerigar, cockatiel and peach-faced lovebird are named as outside the CITES appendices in Schedule IV. Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research)
You may have read
Every exotic bird now needs a licence from the forest department.
Myth
What the sources say
Only species listed in Schedule IV must be reported and registered under section 49M and the 2024 Rules. The budgie is not one of them. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
You may have read
If the shop sells it next to the budgies, it must be legal too.
Myth
What the sources say
Pet Shop Rules define a pet animal as one whose ownership and trade are not prohibited by any other law. A scheduled native bird is not a lawful pet, wherever it is sold. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)
You may have read
A small cage is fine for small birds.
Myth
What the sources say
Keeping any animal in a cage too small for reasonable movement is cruelty under section 11(1)(e) of the PCA Act, 1960. Animal Welfare Board of India
How do you buy and keep budgies legally?
The welfare rules that do apply, from the Pet Shop Rules, 2018 and the PCA Act, 1960.
- Buy from a pet shop registered with the State Animal Welfare Board. The Rules say no pet shop can get a local licence without that registration. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)
- Expect a receipt. Registered shops must issue one for every animal sold and display the species and prices. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)
- Do not buy chicks that are too young. The Rules ban selling un-weaned birds, which they define to include captive birds without mature flight feathers. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)
- Shops must keep birds in aviaries large enough for every bird to stretch its wings fully and fly. Give yours at least that at home. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)
- Budgies are colony birds that can live in social groups, the RSPCA says, so plan for company of their own kind. RSPCA
- Provide food, water and shelter every day: failing to do so is an offence for an owner under section 11(1)(h). Animal Welfare Board of India
Do you need permission to breed or sell budgies?
Not from the forest department, because the species is outside the Wildlife Act's schedules. Selling is a different matter. The Pet Shop Rules, 2018 define a pet shop as any shop, place or premises, including in a weekly market and including online platforms, where pet animals are sold or kept for sale. Anyone running such a business needs a certificate of registration from the State Animal Welfare Board, and the shop must meet the housing standards in the Rules' schedule.
If you breed a few chicks and give them to friends, ask your State Animal Welfare Board whether that counts as a pet shop in your state. If you sell regularly, online or at a market, plan to register.
What about your housing society or landlord?
The Wildlife Act does not decide whether you may keep birds in a flat; your lease and your society's rules do, within the law. Budgies are small and quiet compared with large parrots, but their chatter carries. Our guide to pets in housing societies covers what a society can and cannot ban.
Going away soon? Tell us your dates.
A checked local sitter feeds, walks and keeps your pet company at home, follows your care sheet to the letter and sends a photo every day. Petym is opening city by city: send your dates and we will tell you when a sitter can take them.
- Meet your sitter first, free
- PAN-checked, first-aid trained
- A photo every day
- Pay through Petym, never cash
Questions owners ask
Do I need a licence to keep budgies in India?
- No forest department registration is needed. The Wildlife Act's Schedule IV names the budgerigar as not included in the CITES appendices, and the 2024 registration Rules apply only to listed species. Your city may have its own pet rules, so check with the municipal corporation if you keep many birds.
Are lovebirds legal in India?
- The peach-faced lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis) is named in Schedule IV as not included, so it can be kept like a budgie. Other lovebird species fall under the general Appendix II entry for parrots and must be registered with the forest department within 30 days of getting them.
Are cockatiels legal in India?
- Yes. The cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus) is named alongside the budgerigar in Schedule IV of the Wildlife Act as a parrot not included in the CITES appendices, so no registration is needed. Buy from a pet shop registered with the State Animal Welfare Board.
Can I release my budgie if I cannot keep it?
- Do not. A pet budgie is unlikely to survive outside, and abandoning an animal in a way likely to cause it suffering is an offence under section 11(1)(i) of the PCA Act. Rehome it through friends, a bird-keeping group or an animal welfare organisation instead.
Is it legal to sell budgies online in India?
- The Pet Shop Rules, 2018 include online platforms where pet animals are bought and sold in the definition of a pet shop. A regular seller needs a certificate of registration from the State Animal Welfare Board and must follow the Rules on housing, receipts and not selling un-weaned birds.
Keep reading
- Which birds are legal pets in India?Native, exotic and registered birds.
- Is it legal to keep a parrot in India?
- Birds as pets
- Animal cruelty law in India
- Pets in housing societies
Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research): The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022 (No. 18 of 2022), published 20 December 2022 (opens in a new tab)
- Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change: Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024: G.S.R. 145(E), 28 February 2024 (Gazette copy) (opens in a new tab)
- Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site): Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Pet Shop) Rules, 2018: G.S.R. 844(E), 6 September 2018 (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, as amended in 1982 (AWBI's copy) (opens in a new tab)
- RSPCA: Company: living with other birds (opens in a new tab)