Sydney  - Tourists are flocking to the Australian Outback to hear the chatter the rare spectacle of tens of thousands of budgerigars, news reports said Tuesday.

The first big floods in far-west Queensland in decades have created ideal breeding conditions for the tiny parrots, Boulia mayor Rick Britton told national broadcaster ABC.

"Like they are in flocks of probably 1,000 to 3,000 of them, and there's up to five or six different flocks flying around," he said. "When you look out on the horizon, you'd think it was a smoke coming off a fire until you see that it's just manoeuvring just above the horizon, and it's just like a wave of birds."

In the wild, budgies are nomadic and can survive in very dry areas by following thunderstorms. They have a very short breeding cycle and with abundant water flocks easily multiply.