A parakeet is any one of many small to medium-sized species of parrot, in multiple genera, that generally has long tail feathers. Parakeets often breed more readily in groups; however, there can be conflicts between breeding pairs and individuals especially if space is limited. The presence of other parakeets encourages a pair to breed, which is why breeding in a group is better, however many breeders choose to breed in pairs to avoid conflicts and because that way they know for sure which parents produced any given birds. Parakeets lay an average of 4-8 eggs, while budgerigars (a species of parakeet) lay an average of 4-6 eggs. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)