Open Silver

I have a amazon parrot with a strange open leg band?

I have a Lilac Crowned Amazon that I got from a foster home 2 years ago and I was told she was 7 years old when I got her. Her leg band is open and silver, and it says: XB and then 4 numbers.
Does anyone know what this means?
Thanks!

Hi there.

I have a Red-Lored Amazon who has the same sort of band.

I am sorry to tell you that this kind of band usually means that your bird was born before 1993, so your bird is AT LEAST 15 years old.

Back before 1993, it was legal to import exotic birds into the USA. Most of the time, these birds were captured from the wild. This was a horrible thing for birds. Taking birds from the wild led to the endangerment or extinction of many species. Only a fraction of the birds who were captured made it here alive. And the ones who did were usually wild and did not make good pets. Also, once a bird becomes an adult, it’s almost impossible to tell how old it is, so a bird who was brought in as an adult could be FAR older than you originally thought.

These bands are open and were placed on the birds during their quarantine period.

Since birds are no longer imported, it’s hard to find enough information to interpret what the characters mean.

Good luck!

The Silver Log (09.09.2011) Market Open and Hypothetical views