regular or jumbo

[ptagle]

i went in to a pet shop here in Riyadh the other day to look for a pair for my male fid and saw that they were selling two types (as per the caretakers). they were of different sizes! of course the smaller one (like mine) sold far more cheaper than the big ones which sold 4 times more! there was no female for my regular fid size so I was tempted to get the "jumbo" but had doubts. I tried comparing them and they were really bigger! Are these IRN's or of a different breed? I tried asking the shopkeeper but the poor guy didn't have a clue, just kept on telling me "jumbo"! So i passed the temptation and do some more research. So please help as I might be mixing up with another breed.

*it's quite difficult to find good birds here. I think there are no local breeders. plus the language/cultural gap!

[Mikaela]

I can tell you my two ringnecks are different.

Baby is very slim and stealth like.

Buddy makes Baby literally look like a 'baby'.

What is this about?

This has gotten to me too, is Baby a dwarf or is Buddy really big?

So different, cant even compare them really

[Jay]

Do you have any pictures of the supposed "jumbo" ringneck?

The birds may be of different species. Check this website out and compare the pictures. http://www.psittaculaworld.com/
Pay particular attention to the Alexandrines and the African Ringnecks. Both of these species sandwich the Indian Ringneck as far as size is concerned.

I've also seen smaller IRNs.... probably a result of poor diet, health issues, bad genetics and inbreeding, hybridization, or combinations thereof.

[Mikaela]

Them together...



Baby (2 yrs old)




Buddy (3 yrs old)



BIG difference.

[Lauren]

You might have been seeing Alexandrians. They are much bigger than IRNs but look similar. They have a bigger beak and have a few red feathers on the wings. They are both part of the Psittacula family of parrots. Yep, check out that link.

[ptagle]

they were alexandrines alright. didn't get some pix though but I'm pretty sure coz of the red feathers on their wings. thanks for the info!

[sovereign]

I've not been posting on this forum for a while, but now i'm back:) I have a new IRN coming to live with me and Seppo (Seppo is now 1,5 year old). The new bird is actually Seppo's little brother from same parents!

I went to visit my new baby (named Ilkka) yesterday, and I was amazed that the 3-month-old IRN is actually BIGGER than his older brother!

By the way Ilkka is hand-fed and he was very tame already, letting me pat and scratch him I fell in love immediately..

[kyria]

Welcome back sovereign.

Baby birds are usually bigger, chunky, fluffy etc. until they slim out and become sleek as they grow towards maturity

I seem to notice that the greens and blues are much more solid birds than the lutino's etc. especially the males. But generally there is not a large size difference as ptagle was seeing, because he was looking at an alexandrine

[nichole123]

Master Chief was is much smaller than his sister is and he is only a week younger... I can definitely tell them apart. She is taller, has a bigger beak, and weighs alot more...