by Pajarita » Sun Dec 27, 2015 11:55 am
Wolf is correct. I was going by the USA registry, I don't really know how to read an UK band. I checked online and there doesn't seem to be a pattern to them. And using a color to determine the year the bird was born is optional, apparently, and only if you use the colored aluminum rings (there are also stainless steel rings that are silver) with 2011 been dark blue, 2012 red, 2013 black, 2014 light green, 2015 violet and 2016 orange.
Here in USA, whether you need to band or not and what says on the band depends on the state regulations. I live in NJ and the regulations are that all parrots larger than a small conure need to be close banded and the band needs to show the two letter abbreviation for the state (NJ), the breeder's ID (usually letters but it could also be alphanumeric), the year the bird was born (usually crosswise on the band) and the number identifying that particular bird. There is also called a Bird Band registry but most large commercial breeders don't register their bands because they don't want the people who buy from stores they supply to identify them (and, sometimes, it's a requirement of the stores as they don't want the people to know they buy from bird mills that are as far away as California or Florida -they ALWAYS tell you they only buy from local breeders but it's not true) so, although there is a Band Registry, it doesn't really include the bird mills.
If I were you, I would ask the shop where you got it for the name of the breeder although this is information that should be on the hatch certificate (the breeder is the one that issues it, not the store) and, if you cannot get anywhere with them, I would contact the larger suppliers of bird bands (you call them rings) and ask if they can identify the band as one of their own.