A parakeet is a term for any one of a large number of unrelated small parrot species, mainly used for small long-tailed members of the Arini in the Americas, instead of Conure, and in Australia colloquially for many species. For the small bird often sold in pet stores, see budgerigar.
The term is descriptive and used for small, long-tailed parrots but does not imply an actual relationship between the different parakeets. Not all parakeets have long tails. An older orthography still sometimes encountered is paroquet.v