An old bird

[Pajarita]

Hmmm, maybe the owner or the rescuer got confused because this is NOT an old bird - as a matter of fact, I would guess that the oldest this bird can be is mid teens -which would be super fortuitous if it was so because, even if has been on a bad diet all along, there should still be time enough to reverse the damage so he can live a good long time.

I am going to take a picture of my old girls and show you the difference -they look like crap (feathers that no longer grow and the ones that do have no integrity), especially nowadays after the breeding season because Mami has plucked herself and Naida bare. My husband, who likes them a lot, is constantly telling me: "Mami is biting Naida's feathers AGAIN! - Tell her to stop!" -as if that would work (my husband seems to think that I have some kind of super powers with the animals ) The thing is that Naida likes it and she is the one that goes to Mami asking for preening so the back of her neck and her chest have no feathers even though shem herself, doesn't pluck -ay, ay, ay!

[Navre]

I know we have amazons around 30 who look as good as the 6-year-olds, and a 40-year old Moluccan looks as good as a young one. But we had a 60-year-old DYH who was showing his age.

[Pajarita]

Yes, I do too. Precie (YNA wild-caught) is now 34 or 35 and she looks great (well, her joints are a bit swollen but they have actually gotten better with time) but then, Naida (BFA captive-bred), who is 32 or 33 doesn't. It all goes back to the diet they got and, unfortunately, the greatest majority of them got a bad one. The lucky ones are usually the wild caught (much stronger than the captive-bred) that was fed human food in a home where they ate healthy.

[Navre]

Yes, I do too. Precie (YNA wild-caught) is now 34 or 35 and she looks great (well, her joints are a bit swollen but they have actually gotten better with time) but then, Naida (BFA captive-bred), who is 32 or 33 doesn't. It all goes back to the diet they got and, unfortunately, the greatest majority of them got a bad one. The lucky ones are usually the wild caught (much stronger than the captive-bred) that was fed human food in a home where they ate healthy.

Bucca is wild caught and approaching 40. I guess he lived in a greenhouse for some time. He flew freely there, so all that probably contributes to his good health. His lungs and vocal cords are in perfect shape!

[galeriagila]

I'm not sure *I* would believe that the Rickeybird is 32 unless I had had him since chickhood. I think maybe Patagonians hide their age better, with their little pink feet and slender build. Plus, I will say his diet has been good (and is now excellent, thanks to folks here).

[Pajarita]

It IS the diet as well as the general conditions of the owner's husbandry that make the difference (and that's why Rickeybird looks so good, Gail) but wild-caught and first and second generations of captive-bred from wild caught parents have a distinct advantage over birds that have been captive-bred from parents that were, themselves, captive-bred and bred from captive-bred, etc. The longer the line goes back to captive-bred, the worse the product bird is. It's inevitable. I once read a study that said that any living human's general health can be traced back to what the maternal grandmother ate when she was pregnant. Imagine that!

I made a mistake though, Naida is not captive-bred, she is wild-caught but on the other hand, I don't really know her age and when I say she is 32 or 33, I am merely going by the number of years that I can trace back in her ownership - for all I know, she could be 40!

The thing with birds is that, in reality and all things been equal in terms of good living conditions, nobody can tell how old they are by just looking at them because old birds don't normally show any signs of aging the way mammals do with the exception of the eyes and the feet/legs but, as we all know, living conditions and diet have a MAJOR impact on our health and this is what we normally go by with parrots. In my personal opinion, the ONLY way you know a parrot's age for sure is if the bird has a closed leg band with the year it was hatched because you really cannot go by what people tell you as, for some particular reason, old parrots seem to be in more demand than younger ones. I don't really know why but it's a fact. You offer a 10 year old bird and a 40 year old bird and the adopter will always go for the 40 year old one. It's the same with three-legged dogs, they are the easiest dogs to adopt out, everybody wants them! Even if they are large and black (the most difficult dogs to adopt out).

[galeriagila]

So the more captive bred generations, probably less genetic diversity, too, maybe? I happen to know that the Rickeybird was offspring of two wild-caught birds. I guess I'm glad!

[Navre]

Turns out my little TAG is wild caught, so we have no idea how old he is. We only know "at least" how old he is.

[Pajarita]

Yes, John, that is often the way with the wild caught UNLESS they got a band from the USDA when they came in and this band still has legible numbers and letters because, unfortunately, they become 'worn out' very easily and, in most case, although you can see that there was something engraved there, you can't really make it out enough to put in an inquiry for the year they came in.

And, yes, Gail, genetic diversity is a factor, no doubt about it! But, in my opinion, the worst part about captive breeding is not only the conditions the parents are kept but the fact that there is NO natural selection! The number one strategy that nature created to keep a species alive and healthy is the very one missing from the captive bred equation! And to make matters worse, sometimes, breeders use pet parrots that did not work out because of plucking or neurotic behaviors so it's not only that the babies are not the offspring of the healthiest and the strongest, they are the babies of birds with issues!

Look at the thread I am posting today (Breeder/Hoarder) and you will see what I mean in terms of breeders husbandry and how it has to affect the babies.

[galeriagila]

Thanks, Pajarita.
Sometimes, the more I learn, the more my heart breaks... about how these amazing natural miracles --- parrots --- are treated. I feel like apologizing to the Rickeybird every day.

Please tell me, Pajarita (or any/all) what can I do to advocate for change, for humane treatment of parrots, for reform/changes in law... whatever??

I have lots of experience in groups like Nature Conservancy and local parrot rescue work (back in NM), and I have graduate degrees in life sciences, so I am comfortable researching/interpreting journals and similar peer-reviewed articles. I'm a decent researcher myself (with a few publications back in the day), and I have also developed a definite fondness for online searches as well.

My limitations are that I don't have a lot of disposable income, and I am pretty limited as far as transportation.

I really want to get involved somehow. And I'm going to find a way. Y'all are inspiring me!