Age and sub species (?!)

[ladybubblin3]

Ok, so this is my girl, Waverley.
She was sold to me as a 4 year old Meyers Parrot two years ago (making her around 6 now). She is absolutely lovely, and I love her very much.

I tried to get her a friend (turned into me getting her a mortal enemy, but I digress) last summer, and the other Meyers has considerably less yellow than Waves. The woman I bought the other bird from said that the yellow had a connection with how old the bird was (the more yellow, the older the bird). Waverly is also significantly larger than the other Meyers.

I am wondering if anyone has any knowledge of the potential connection between the amount of yellow and the age of the bird? She doesn't look particularly like the Meyers that show up when you search the bird on google images. She also is not close banded. Apparently the guy I bought her from had her shipped from Ontario at some point. She was maybe hand fed? Little gaps in the story, but just seeking insight if possible.

Either way, I love her dearly.

TIA!

 

[April]

Woah! She's absolutely gorgeous ! I've never seen one like her either. I'll bet she could be a pied Meyers. @expressmailtome , @Mizzely thoughts?

 

[Mizzely]

Oh she's stunning!!

Sometimes in some species, yellow can be an indication of age. I however agree that this looks like a genetic coloring. I had a Hahns girl that was also usual for her species, and testing never revealed any concrete health issues related to it.

 

[cmor]

I follow a couple of Meyers on IG who look like your Waverley. I think it’s some kind of genetic mutation rather than a health issue but I’m no vet Normally a Meyers has no yellow on their head and after a year they begin to get their crown. Each year more their crown gets more yellow feathers added to it for the following few years.

 

[cmor]

Here’s Mochi’s crown progression.

 

[CodaCola]

Slighty off-topic but she is stunning! She looks so cute!!

Now to the issue at hand, I am really new to birds so I wouldn't take my word for it but it does look like a pied of sorts! Or maybe she was just bred from a family of high yellow Meyer's? Line bred maybe? I'm more of a reptile guy, haha, so honestly my guesses are what's happening genetically.
For example in reptiles if a trait is desirable they simply breed the heck outta it. Such as high red Madagascar Giant Day Geckos. They vary greatly in thw amount of red spots due to the breeding of them in captivity.
What I'm getting at is she is either probably a pied or she was bred from a family of Meyer's with LOTS of yellow!

 

[iamwhoiam]

Genetics/possible pied markings.
Red-bellied parrots can also vary in coloration with some being pied.
Two of my red-bellies are pied.
Waverley is beautiful.

 

[expressmailtome]

There is a pied mutation Meyer's parrot, however I am not able to find a picture right now.

 

[Tyrion]

She is beautiful

 

[WillowQ]

Waverly is gorgeous and has the most yellow of any Meyers parrot I’ve seen.

as I understand it, the yellow markings vary with subspecies and do increase with age. My Jasper has gotten a bit more yellow in the three years she’s been with me.

I wonder if you would call Waverly a high-yellow? I also wonder how old she is?

in comparison, Jasper has much less yellow on forehead and epaulets and she’s about ten years old. Here she is, thinking about starting her bath in her Swan pet fountain.

 

[WillowQ]

Here’s Mochi’s crown progression.

Do you think Mochi has more yellow than Jasper because Mochi is a male?
Jasper only has patch of yellow on one side of her forehead and a couple yellow feathers on the other side.
It seems like the yellow varies with subspecies and age, but does it also vary with sex of the bird? I.e, do boys have more yellow? I thought I’d read that male Meyers had more yellow but I have not been able to find that reference again.

 

[WillowQ]

Woah! She's absolutely gorgeous ! I've never seen one like her either. I'll bet she could be a pied Meyers. @expressmailtome , @Mizzely thoughts?

She reminds me of those high-red African greys. Normally AGs only have the signal patch under the tail. But the high reds get red feathers over more of the body.

 

[MnGuy]

Gorgeous!

A long time ago I saw pictures of Meyer’s parrots from different areas (I guess they were sub species?) and none looked like yours. I bet it’s just a genetic mutation.

Mine never like other birds, either. If you’re bonded she’s probably happy being a single bird.

 

[WillowQ]

Jasper is the epitome of jealousy. That’s why she came to live with me. She was going to take down a macaw and her parents decided she should go elsewhere.

 

[cmor]

Do you think Mochi has more yellow than Jasper because Mochi is a male?
Jasper only has patch of yellow on one side of her forehead and a couple yellow feathers on the other side.
It seems like the yellow varies with subspecies and age, but does it also vary with sex of the bird? I.e, do boys have more yellow? I thought I’d read that male Meyers had more yellow but I have not been able to find that reference again.

Mochi is a female. Here’s a link I found on sub-species.

Meyer's Parrots or Brown Parrots (Poicephalus meyeri)

The Meyer's Parrots or Brown Parrots (Poicephalus meyeri) are small, stocky African parrots that occupy most non-coastal areas south of the Sahara (central and eastern Africa). This species was named after the German naturalist Berhard Meyer.

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