Change in Markings????

[tastakelin]

Hello,
I have a Blue Fronted Amazon that I've had for about 5 months. We were told he was 5 years old, but later found out the guy lied about the reason for sale so we don't know if he was honest about anything. Anyway, he has very little blue on his head but lately it seems to be growing. At first I thought I was going crazy, but it definately is spreading. I've tried to research this online but couldn't find anything. Does anyone know why this might be happening? I looked at pictures of baby blue fronts and they seem to have most of there blue from a very young age.
Thanks!
Tara

 

[HRH Di]

Hmmm, interesting. I don't know about Amazons, but our RFM could get new color in her plumage for up to 15 years. Is there a local breeder or rescue you could contact?

 

[Bobby34231]

Just a guess, but maybe your feeding him a better diet than he's had in the past, or better living conditions, and possibly thats started to bring out the coloration, sometimes you can just never tell........

 

[Birdamor]

Hmmm, that is interesting because the color blue does not come from pigment, it comes from the actual structure of the feather so, usually, what is blue will stay blue regardless of changes in the diet.

 

[Bobby34231]

Hmmm, that is interesting because the color blue does not come from pigment, it comes from the actual structure of the feather so, usually, what is blue will stay blue regardless of changes in the diet.

I don't disagree with that at all, I was basiclly suggesting diet as in realation to healthier plumage and overall health of the bird and not in deriving coloration from the food source......

 

[Birdamor]

Hmmm, that is interesting because the color blue does not come from pigment, it comes from the actual structure of the feather so, usually, what is blue will stay blue regardless of changes in the diet.

I don't disagree with that at all, I was basiclly suggesting diet as in realation to healthier plumage and overall health of the bird and not in deriving coloration from the food source......

Ahh, I see. And you might be right, we don't know much about anything when it comes to birds but, for what I have read about blue feather coloring and going by my experience, it's the yellows and the reds that change and not the blues.

BUT, just after I wrote that I remembered that the Dyck texture (what makes a feather blue, named after the guy who discovered this) is caused by a spongy layer beneath the keratin cortex and keratin is protein so diet might have something to do with it. And now that my brain is in gear -LOL- I also remembered that studies have shown that amelanotic feathers (albino not normal white ones) do have a normal spongy layer but without the melanin granule layer that disperses light so there might be something to what you say although the study I remember deals with normal blue feathers versus albino versus normal white. And melanin is derived from Tyrosine which is an non-essential amino acid but its precursor is essential (I forget the name) and found in high protein foods. AHA!

 

[tastakelin]

Wow! complicated stuff. Thanks for responding.
When we got him he was on mostly pellets and dried fruit with a small amount of seed (no sunflower seeds). He is now on just pellets and fruit and veggies...no seed at all. He definately has a better environment with a huge cage, playgym and all the toys a bird could want.
I called a breeder about him but she was puzzled too. Unless he is much younger than we were told. I asked her if it could possibly be that he molted some blue feathers (without it being obvious) and that now they are coming back, giving the appearance of a 'growing blue area'. She agreed that that could be the case.