King Parrot mutation?

[parrotplumage]

Can anyone help identify this striking bird? It keeps company with male and female king parrots and seems to think it is one too.

[joey]

It could be a pied type of mutation, there was a similar bird near Newcastle about a year ago

[joey]

It's a stunning looking bird, do you have another photo of it

[parrotplumage]

Yes it is stunning. There's another better photo in my Further to Parrot Mutation post. Since I put up these posts I got some info. from an article by a bird expert, Ken Simpson, from Melbourne. He included pictures of King Parrots with somewhat similar patterning and wrote "A wayward gene in the chromosome makeup of these individual King Parrots probably contributes to a partial and patchy lack of melanin, which is then displayed as a series of yellow markings, because carotenoids or fatty pigments are dominating these parts of the plumage.' The condition is called Aberrant Plumage.

[joey]

I was looking at a book written Dr Terry Martin, published by ABK publications, A guide to colour mutations & genetics in parrots. It could be a couple of types of mutations from looking at some of the photos of different mutations such as opaline, spangle or a pied type of mutation. The only true way to tell would be test matings in a captive situation. There has been a number of mutation king parrot mutations found around the Newcastle area such as the blue, cinnamon and dilutes have all been spotted in recent years, The grey green(olive) mutation was found in the blue mountains and a other cinnamon coloured birds have been seen in the Mittagong area.

[parrotplumage]

I'll see if I can find that Terry Martin book. Sounds just what I need. Sadly, the bird in question was only around for a week or two. Haven't seen it since. Thanks.

[joey]

Looking at the photo and looking at its beak colour it is only a young bird, hopefully a hawk or eagle didn't get it talons into it!!!!

[parrotplumage]

Or a breeder!