They might have the highest bouffant, the brightest colours and the most delicate markings, but a prize-winning budgie can't be a champion unless it has the right stance — and a pair of "good strong legs".
"It's how they stand, it's how they present themselves," prize-winning budgie breeder Les Trumper from Perth said.
"A good bird is a bird that stands nice on the perch at 30 degrees, has a nice flow and presents himself as a showy bird."
Mr Trumper is one of many competitive budgerigar breeders and owners from across Australia vying for the national title in Ballarat from June 2-4.
On a Thursday in late May, Mr Trumper was preparing the best of his 150 budgies to compete for a place in the West Australian state team to be selected by judges from the WA Budgerigar Council at a pre-selection event at the weekend.
WA's most elite budgerigars would then be boxed and flown to Ballarat to compete against other state teams.
Mr Trumper, who secured third place in last year's Australian competition, said he was hoping to repeat that success in 2023.
"I'd be over the moon," he said, speaking over the raucous chattering of birds that fills the back patio of his home in the south-eastern suburbs of Perth.
"That's what everybody strives for."
Since 1992, budgerigar fanciers like Mr Trumper have been selectively breeding birds in the pursuit of a perfect specimen.
Run by the Australian National Budgerigar Council, the national teams competition assesses birds against a highly detailed set of physical standards, from the tip of their tails to the top of their poufy crown.
A bird can be disqualified for missing a toenail or marked down for having too many spots in the feathers around its neck.
Trends in what constitutes a prize-winning bird have changed over the years from birds that more closely resembled the wild budgie of the 30s to a bird with a dramatic feathered crown in 2023.
A kaleidoscope of colour varieties ranges from mauve to fallow (which has red eyes and paler feathers), opaline mutations and the delicate cinnamon wing.
Mr Trumper said it had taken decades to gain the knowledge and experience needed to breed prize-winning birds but had been helped along by mentors willing to share their expertise.
"It keeps you active; it gives you a purpose every morning," he said.
"I get up early and you know [I'm] always willing to get out there and do my little bit and there's always something to do.
"They do something silly that makes you laugh and makes the day go well."
He said his love of birds dated back to the day he rescued a sparrow during his childhood in Germany.
After 30 years working with racing pigeons, he shifted his focus to budgies after taking a liking to a single bird that flew into his backyard.
Mr Trumper said he had found a lot of joy in keeping them.
"They've all got different personalities," he said.
"A lot of mine sit on my shoulder or they peck at your toes and others just stay well clear of you.
"That's the beauty of it; each one has a different personality."
Mr Trumper said birds that did not turn out to be show quality were sold on as pets.
He is now mentoring a younger breeder, Les Woodcock, who has recently returned to showing budgerigars after originally starting years ago as a teenager.
Mr Woodcock said he hoped to be ready to compete in the national competition by 2030.
He said he was grateful that Mr Trumper was willing to share his knowledge and help him put his own "spin" on the sport.
"Having a mentor like Les has been really great for me, keeps my passion there and being able to move forward with ultimate goals of getting into the nationals," Mr Woodcock said.
Mr Trumper said showing budgies was not just about the birds but the friends he made along the way.
"I'm not getting any younger so I want to pass along as much as I can," he said.
"Because it's taken me nearly 70 years to learn what I've learned, and I don't want to take that to the grave."
Mr Trumper is not quite confident enough to have his bags packed and ready for Ballarat before the pre-selection, but he is quietly optimistic about his chances.
"There's no guarantee," Mr Trumper said.
"You go down there, you put in the best that you've got and if somebody else has got one better, well, that's the way it works."
When the WA state team was finally selected on May 27, Mr Trumper had 17 birds selected to compete — the biggest cohort he has ever had chosen for the championship.
The national competition started on June 2.
