CANBERRA, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of parrots have descended on the Australian outback in a "mind-boggling" natural phenomenon.

Budgerigars -- small, nomadic, seed-eating parrots known colloquially as budgies or parakeets -- have flocked to the Northern Territory (NT) in droves amid ideal breeding conditions across the country.

One of the most prevalent bird species in Australia, budgies migrate north in winter in pursuit of water sources and food.

In the morning thousands of budgies take to the sky to descend on water holes across Australia's arid red center.

Mark Carter, a zoologist and bird watcher from Alice Springs in the middle of the outback, said the 2021 migration was the biggest budgie event in 10 years.

"There was an event in 2016 which was localised to certain areas," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) recently.

"This event involves a huge number of birds across the landscape. If you do the maths on how many budgies are out there across the landscape, it's mind-boggling.

"It's got to be one of the most iconic sights in the outback...one of the great natural wonders of the world is these huge budgie flocks."

Carter said that the record number of budgies was a result of myriad factors, with the birds staying in the outback for longer and breeding in record numbers as a result of strong rainfall and an abundance of food due to low cattle numbers.

"It's a combination of things: We had rain at the perfect time here and they bred up in other parts of Australia and gathered here," he said.

"The amount of grass seed out there has helped." Enditem

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