Does the neck ring depend on age or molting?

[Dinosrawr]

Everything I've read about IRN's has always suggested that ringnecks don't begin to develop their neck ring until they are around a year in age, generally to do with when they molt and their sexual maturity. I haven't really been able to find anything about how they start to develop it and what affects the ring development, but I just noticed that Shiko has very distinct grey feathers growing in the front of his neck. He's always had a visible clear line for where the ring will be, but I've never noticed the dark gray until now.

The reason I ask is because lately he's been molting hard, and I can't imagine that he's beyond how old he really is... I don't think the breeder I was in contact with would lie about that. He's only 4 months old! So that's why it kind of blows my mind that he'd already begun to develop his ring. So that's why I'm wondering if the ring is more influenced by age or by molt, like the title suggest. Has anyone ever had experience with how the ring grows in and if this is normal? Here's a photo... he's so cute

 

[Katyo91]

they kind of go hand in hand but would say it is more influenced by molt...Beaker was almost 2.5 before his molt into adulthood, thus the ring. but we could see the gray feathers a few months beforehand even. I've heard people say that their IRNs got their ring anywhere between 1.5 - 3 years so maybe your guy is just an early bloomer?! haha that's the best i got.

 

[Dinosrawr]

Thanks Kat Maybe he is just an early bloomer, that or because of his molt he's already started to develop the grey and by around a year he'll start his ring. I can't wait for it to come in

 

[Katyo91]

The transformation is so exciting! It's like you wake up one day and Poof! He's a man! Hahah

 

[FluffyYellowBird]

He is a gorgeous colour.

 

[Dinosrawr]

Thanks He's developing into such a pretty blue colour, it makes me very happy! And yes, it'll be great when he has his ring. He'll look so handsome

 

[a_osborne]

I can't answer your question but I just wanted to comment on how brilliantly beautiful he is! That blue is just stunning.

 

[Jaicee]

Our 4 year old green ringneck got his ring when he was about a year and a half, which was only his second full molt but it didnt come all the way to his chin until his following molt when he also got his blue and pink feathers around it. He is molting now and the whole back of his head looks like its gonna be blue

 

[Katyo91]

I have a question.. Do the blues not get the pink coloration on the back of their necks as well? Beaker has just a white line behind his head and I just assumed it would get pink too but I guess not??

 

[Dinosrawr]

I'm honestly not positive about whether or not they develop the pink. It's purely a genetic thing I would imagine, and IRNs are crazy for genetics. I know in some colour mutations that the makes don't even really develop a full ring! It's crazy. But I think blues only develop the white and black. I think the pink is derive from ino colour mutations.

 

[WesselG]

Katyo91,

The blue mutation only develops a black and white ring.

 

[Katyo91]

Thank you Dinosrawr and WesselG!

 

[WesselG]

Dinosrawr

I have a Cinnamon Grey PallidIno that hatched in October last year. It was surgically sexed as male on Thursday and if the lighting conditions are just right and the bird in the right position you can already see a very faint ring.

My silver male on the other hand didn't display any hint of a ring till he started developing it at about 18-24 months old (he was surgically sexed as male as a young bird as well).

So in my limited experience it seems to depend on the mutation and the individual bird.

Wessel

 

[Jobaby]

Everything I've read about IRN's has always suggested that ringnecks don't begin to develop their neck ring until they are around a year in age, generally to do with when they molt and their sexual maturity. I haven't really been able to find anything about how they start to develop it and what affects the ring development, but I just noticed that Shiko has very distinct grey feathers growing in the front of his neck. He's always had a visible clear line for where the ring will be, but I've never noticed the dark gray until now.

The reason I ask is because lately he's been molting hard, and I can't imagine that he's beyond how old he really is... I don't think the breeder I was in contact with would lie about that. He's only 4 months old! So that's why it kind of blows my mind that he'd already begun to develop his ring. So that's why I'm wondering if the ring is more influenced by age or by molt, like the title suggest. Has anyone ever had experience with how the ring grows in and if this is normal? Here's a photo... he's so cute

I had to go searching for this information too. Your IRN is gorgeous !! My IRN Floyd (as in pretty boy) has started to drop a lot of feathers and I was wondering if it is related to maturity. He will be a year in February. I have always been able to tell (invisible line?) where the ring will develop. I have noticed that he is dropping feathers and the bird room is my smaller bedroom upstairs. It is the warmest room in the house. I wondered if it was too warm in there (hence the feather dropping). I see no sign of the ring though.

 

[Cottonoid]

Is that a shadow under his chin? If not that looks like the front of a ring to me

I met my ARN about a month after his ring came in, but it did happen with a big seasonal molt.

 

[Jobaby]

That was actually another question I had. Is molting seasonal? Do they molt in Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter? Does it depend on the bird when they molt?

 

[HeatherG]

My guess from other Southern Hemispheres birds would be, hatched in spring, moult in fall about 6 months of age and then again in fall at 18 months? Of course the ring is contour feathers and those are replaced slowly all year.

Good question!!