Scotty and his Castle

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Under fear of being evicted, here are two pictures of Scotty and one of his Castle.

[pchela]

Wow! He's gorgeous! Again, congratulations! And... I guess you can stay now.

[MandyG]

He's beautiful! Congrats!

So do Capes lose their colored head as they mature? Or is Scotty different than Truman?

[Azure Hanyo]

He's so handsome!!!! Congratulations!

[entrancedbymyGCC]

He's beautiful! Congrats!

So do Capes lose their colored head as they mature? Or is Scotty different than Truman?

I understand that males lose their orange as they get older, females do not. So they are actually dimorphic. I also read that the amount of orange on the rest of the body varies a lot by individual. Scotty has orange socks!

[pchela]

He's beautiful! Congrats!

So do Capes lose their colored head as they mature? Or is Scotty different than Truman?

The females keep the orange color on their heads... all juveniles have it though.

[pchela]

Oops! Sorry... posted at the same time. Now you have the information twice I guess...

[Michael]

I'm not sure strictly by this photo (cause it could just be a matter of white balance) but he kind of looks like a Grey-Headed Cape Parrot (Poicephalus robustus suahelicus). But I'm probably wrong cause Eb Cravens told me he breeds Fuscicollis. So most likely that is what Truman will look like in about a year. That is the mature plumage of a male Cape Parrot. The red cap is strictly for females and babies.

That cage looks so familiar!

My gosh, I must say he looks terrible without his primaries. And I really mean that in the least hostile of ways (not flight debate). I mean literally just appearance wise, he looks soooo out of balance with such a big head and small tail/butt. Like Truman at least has a set of primaries extending back to at least make it look like there is some mass down below, but this guy looks so top heavy! I think it really shows in a Cape. Scooter doesn't have that unbalanced look.

BTW, I highly recommend getting the paper cage liners for this cage. It's just so big that it's too much of a pain in the butt to put anything else down.

Do you have any idea how much he weighs?

[pchela]

Did you ever get a firm answer about his age?

[entrancedbymyGCC]

I'm pretty sure 3 is correct, because the person who gave us that number was really focused on him. I'm trying to see if they can dig up some paperwork -- here's where a band would be useful -- with a band the breeder would have records. I don't suppose it really matters.

So, is his beak typical of a mature male? We are wondering if the tip should be groomed a bit, or if it should be left to its own devices.

And Michael, believe it or not, I agree with you about the appearance. We will probably keep him clipped, but evolve to a "show clip" like Scooter's where the outer two primaries are left intact and a couple extra further in are trimmed.