Post by luvsanimals2 on Dec 3, 2013 2:59:53 GMT
Age:
This thread will help you to determine the age of your budgie.
Parrots only have three life stages : Youth, Adulthood and Geriatric. It can be very difficult to find out what age your bird is within these three stages, but there are some clues to help you figure out the approximate age of your budgie.
The most important features of your bird to look at are the eyes and head bars. These will show the approximate age of your bird. There is no way to determine the actual date of birth of your bird unless you have access to that information through your breeder. It is possible to translate the information found on your pet's leg band, but the codes are often difficult to read, and generally only have the birth year.
The Cap:
The first way to judge the age of a bird is to establish if it is an adult or still a fledgling. Young budgies will go through their first molt around 3-4 months of age. The feathers on the top of their heads (head bars) will be replaced and will no longer have stripes. Budgies with top feathers or head bars are less than 3-4 months. A budgie with a clear cap has gone through their first molt and is older than 4 months. There are some exceptions to this rule of thumb. Some budgie color mutations leave the bird without any stripes, and so this technique cannot be used.
Head Bars (less than 4 months)
Clear cap (4months+)
Comparison
The Eyes:
If your bird is over four months, you can then examine the eyes to have a rough idea of their age. Budgies are born with black eyes, and as they mature their irises turn a bright silvery white. This change occurs over the first two years of life, and the degree of the change can help you guess the age of your bird. There are some notable exceptions to this rule. A budgie with albinism will have red eyes all their life, and a recessive pied budgie will have a distinctive deep purple or plum colored iris that never becomes light.
Black Eyes
Very Dark Irisis (not my bird from google)
Medium Brown/Grey
Light Brown/Grey (8+ months)
ID Bands - They can tell you how old, the state it was bred and hatch date (I do not know if this is accurate)
If the leg band is blank, that means it is a family band (from a breeder)
The ID Band color can tell you the year the bird was born but it is less reliable.
"ABS ID Band Colors:
GOLD - '96
SILVER - '97
GREEN - '98
ORANGE - '99
LIGHT BLUE - 2000
BLACK - 2001
GOLD - 2002
SILVER - 2003
DARK BLUE - 2004
WHITE - 2005
YELLOW - 2006
BLACK - 2007
GRAY - 2008
DARK BLUE - 2009
ORANGE - 2010
DARK BLUE - 2011
RED - 2012"
ID Band
Reading ID Band (not my picture)
1) Organization
2) Breeder ID
3) year of birth (Cali is a bear)
4) bird ID #
Vertically Codes
2 Digit # year of birth
2 Digit letters state (hatched)
Horizontal Codes (2-4 #'s)
Record code from breeding facility - abbreviation name for breeder
Logo
circle with AFA indicates American Federation of Aviculture
This thread will help you to determine the age of your budgie.
Parrots only have three life stages : Youth, Adulthood and Geriatric. It can be very difficult to find out what age your bird is within these three stages, but there are some clues to help you figure out the approximate age of your budgie.
The most important features of your bird to look at are the eyes and head bars. These will show the approximate age of your bird. There is no way to determine the actual date of birth of your bird unless you have access to that information through your breeder. It is possible to translate the information found on your pet's leg band, but the codes are often difficult to read, and generally only have the birth year.
The Cap:
The first way to judge the age of a bird is to establish if it is an adult or still a fledgling. Young budgies will go through their first molt around 3-4 months of age. The feathers on the top of their heads (head bars) will be replaced and will no longer have stripes. Budgies with top feathers or head bars are less than 3-4 months. A budgie with a clear cap has gone through their first molt and is older than 4 months. There are some exceptions to this rule of thumb. Some budgie color mutations leave the bird without any stripes, and so this technique cannot be used.
Head Bars (less than 4 months)
Clear cap (4months+)
Comparison
The Eyes:
If your bird is over four months, you can then examine the eyes to have a rough idea of their age. Budgies are born with black eyes, and as they mature their irises turn a bright silvery white. This change occurs over the first two years of life, and the degree of the change can help you guess the age of your bird. There are some notable exceptions to this rule. A budgie with albinism will have red eyes all their life, and a recessive pied budgie will have a distinctive deep purple or plum colored iris that never becomes light.
Black Eyes
Very Dark Irisis (not my bird from google)
Medium Brown/Grey
Light Brown/Grey (8+ months)
ID Bands - They can tell you how old, the state it was bred and hatch date (I do not know if this is accurate)
If the leg band is blank, that means it is a family band (from a breeder)
The ID Band color can tell you the year the bird was born but it is less reliable.
"ABS ID Band Colors:
GOLD - '96
SILVER - '97
GREEN - '98
ORANGE - '99
LIGHT BLUE - 2000
BLACK - 2001
GOLD - 2002
SILVER - 2003
DARK BLUE - 2004
WHITE - 2005
YELLOW - 2006
BLACK - 2007
GRAY - 2008
DARK BLUE - 2009
ORANGE - 2010
DARK BLUE - 2011
RED - 2012"
ID Band
Reading ID Band (not my picture)
1) Organization
2) Breeder ID
3) year of birth (Cali is a bear)
4) bird ID #
Vertically Codes
2 Digit # year of birth
2 Digit letters state (hatched)
Horizontal Codes (2-4 #'s)
Record code from breeding facility - abbreviation name for breeder
Logo
circle with AFA indicates American Federation of Aviculture