average weights of pet birds

AVERAGE
WEIGHTS
OF
PET
BIRDS
Meet
“Big
Jake.”
He’s
a
Blue
and
Gold
macaw
that
lives
near
Moundsville,
WV.
In
30
years
of
avian
practice,
Jake
holds
the
record
for
being
the
heaviest
pet
bird
I’ve
ever
seen.
The
normal
weight
range
for
a
Blue
and
Gold
macaw
is
900‐
1100g.
Jake’s
last
weigh‐in
was
2415g!
He’s
not
only
big,
but
he’s
also
very
fat!
I
have
yet
to
exam
another
macaw
that
is
over
2000g.
I
challenge
anyone
to
find
a
psittacine
bird
anywhere
in
the
United
States
that
weighs
more
than
Jake!
Fig
1:
Examining
Jake,
the
largest
bird
I’ve
ever
weighed.
Fig
2:
Jake
weighed
2257g
in
2009.
His
most
recent
weight
in
2010
was
2415g.
When
anesthetized,
birds
can
be
easily
weighed
by
laying
them
in
a
bowel
that
is
placed
on
a
gram
scale.
Pet
bird
owners
are
always
interested
in
knowing
how
much
their
bird
weighs
and
if
this
is
normal.
Clients
also
like
to
be
able
to
track
their
bird’s
weight
over
a
period
of
time
to
see
if
it’s
gaining
weight,
losing
any,
or
staying
about
the
same.
Every
pet
bird
is
weighed
during
each
visit.
Birds
are
weighed
in
grams.
Since
each
bird
is
usually
already
anesthetized,
it’s
easy
to
get
a
weight
by
gently
laying
the
bird
in
a
bowel
that
sits
on
a
gram
scale
(see
picture
of
Big
Jake).
Each
bird’s
weight
is
then
recorded
with
one
of
the
following
descriptions;
emaciated,
thin,
lean,
normal,
husky,
slightly
overweight,
fat,
or
very
fat.
This
assessment
is
not
based
on
any
specific
formula,
but
rather
on
my
own
clinical
impression.
It
is
related
to
the
degree
of
muscle
mass
in
the
breast,
how
prominent
the
keel
bone
is,
and
how
much
subcutaneous
fat
is
present
over
the
chest
and
abdominal
region.
After
examining
thousands
of
birds
during
the
past
three
years,
I’ve
accumulated
enough
data
on
weight
to
consider
this
parameter
to
be
fairly
accurate
and
descriptive.
Starting
in
2008,
all
my
records
have
been
computerized
so
it
was
easy
to
compile
this
information.
I
have
seen
over
150
different
bird
species
(mostly
parrots)
during
this
time.
I
am
presenting
weight
data
here
on
the
60
most
common
psittacines
that
are
kept
as
pets.
The
minimum
requirement
is
that
I
have
seen
each
bird
type
a
minimum
of
40
visits
in
which
I
categorized
its
weight
as
being
normal.
Clients
are
also
interested
in
knowing
what
birds
are
most
commonly
kept
as
pets.
I
can’t
answer
this
exactly
because
many
pet
birds
never
see
a
veterinarian.
This
is
especially
true
of
small
birds
like
budgies,
lovebirds,
canaries
and
finches.
Some
pet
owners
argue
that
it’s
just
too
expensive
to
take
their
small
bird
to
the
vet
for
routine
procedures…and
they’re
right!
As
a
result
the
types
of
birds
that
tend
to
be
seen
by
vets
are
the
larger,
more
expensive
ones.
Based
on
my
data,
without
question
the
three
most
commonly
kept
large
species
of
parrots
are
African
Greys,
Blue
and
Gold
macaws,
and
Umbrella
cockatoos.
Cockatiels
are
the
most
common
small
variety.
The
list
below
includes
the
15
most
common
parrot
species
that
I’ve
seen
in
my
practice
(that
presented
as
pet
birds)
and
the
total
number
of
bird
visits
during
the
past
three
years.
Some
birds
obviously
have
been
seen
more
than
once
and
every
visit
adds
to
the
total
number.
TYPE
OF
BIRDS
#
of
VISITS
African
Grey
3298
Blue
and
Gold
macaw
2163
Cockatiel
1479
Umbrella
cockatoo
1093
Quaker
parakeet
880
Green‐cheeked
conure
850
Blue‐fronted
Amazon
847
Eclectus
parrot
827
Timneh
Grey
802
Green‐winged
macaw
783
Sun
conure
711
Goffin
cockatoo
582
Double‐yellow
Amazon
556
Moluccan
cockatoo
527
Yellow‐naped
Amazon
501
Determining
the
normal
weight
of
a
bird
type
is
not
an
exact
science.
While
I
can
come
up
with
a
specific
number,
there
are
many
other
variables
to
consider.
For
example,
some
individuals
are
normally
large,
others
are
petite.
Sometimes
there’s
a
weight
difference
based
on
sex
or
age.
There
are
regional
size
differences
and
subspecies
size
variation
for
some
species.
One
of
these
bird
types
listed
(Eclectus)
includes
all
the
different
species.
So
the
average
number
presented
here
is
not
set
in
stone.
Regardless,
I
still
consider
the
number
presented
as
fairly
accurate,
especially
when
it
includes
a
weight
range
of
10%
on
either
side
of
the
mean.
So
if
the
mean
average
weight
of
a
Blue
and
Gold
macaw
is
1000g,
then
the
normal
weight
range
would
be
900‐1100g.
For
interest,
I
have
also
included
the
highest
recorded
weight
for
each
species
of
bird.
This
number
was
not
derived
from
the
“normal”
category,
but
rather
from
the
“fat”
or
‘very
fat”
classification.
Casual
observation
of
this
number
will
also
reveal
that
certain
types
of
birds
are
more
prone
to
obesity
than
others.
Macaws,
Amazons,
and
conures
tend
to
get
overweight
if
kept
on
a
high
fat,
high
carbohydrate
diet
while
other
kinds
of
birds
do
not
(i.e.
African
parrots
and
white
cockatoos).
I
have
grouped
birds
as
to
types
or
size.
Birds
are
also
listed
in
order
of
what
is
most
commonly
seen.
All
birds
are
weighed
in
grams.
454g
=
1
pound
28g
=
1
oz
MEAN
RANGE
HEAVIEST
TYPE
OF
BIRD
AVERAGE
WEIGHT
20%
OF
MEAN
WEIGHT
IN
GRAMS
AFRICAN
BIRDS
African
Grey
447
400
–
500
673
Timneh
Grey
302
270
–
330
378
Senegal
parrot
133
120
–
145
191
Red‐bellied
parrot
134
120
–
145
171
Jardine
parrot
208
185
–
230
288
Meyer’s
parrot
110
100
–
120
145
LARGE
MACAW
Blue
and
Gold
1000
900
–
1000
2415
Green‐winged
1193
1075
–
1315
1824
Scarlet
macaw
1033
930
–
1135
1668
Military
macaw
896
810
–
985
1370
Harlequin
macaw
1144
1030
–
1260
1761
Catalina
macaw
1063
955
–
1170
1911
Hyacinth
macaw
1301
1170
–
1430
1624
Red‐fronted
macaw
489
440
–
540
603
MINI
MACAWS
Severe
macaw
386
345
–
425
545
Hahn’s
macaw
152
135
–
165
217
Yellow‐collared
macaw
234
210
–
260
305
COCKATOOS
Umbrella
cockatoo
Goffin
cockatoo
Moluccan
cockatoo
Rose‐breasted
cockatoo
Med
Sulfur‐crested
Citron
cockatoo
Lesser
Sulfur‐crested
Triton
cockatoo
AMAZON
PARROTS
Blue‐fronted
Amazon
DYH
Amazon
Yellow‐naped
Amazon
Orange‐winged
Amazon
Red‐lored
Amazon
Red‐headed
Amazon
Lilac‐crowned
Amazon
White‐fronted
Amazon
Yellow‐crowned
Amazon
Mealy
Amazon
CONURES
Green‐cheeked
conure
Sun
conure
Blue‐crowned
conure
Nanday
conure
Jenday
conure
Cherry‐headed
conure
Mitred
conure
Patagonian
conure
549
269
824
300
478
387
324
607
495
–
600
240
–
300
740
–
900
270
–
330
430
–
525
350
–
425
290
–
355
545
–
665
794
353
1170
606
680
632
525
871
388
463
511
389
396
304
295
209
436
636
350
–
425
415
–
510
460
–
560
350
–
425
355
–
435
275
–
335
265
–
325
185
–
230
390
–
480
570
–
700
819
821
803
750
723
470
430
381
570
1085
66
107
166
136
118
162
217
232
60
–
72
96
–
115
150
–
180
120
–
150
105
–
130
145
–
175
195
–
240
210
–
255
110
131
291
187
139
276
335
268
MISCELLANEOUS
SMALL
BIRDS
Cockatiel
87
PF
Lovebird
50
Budgerigar
33
Parrotlet
28
Lineolated
parakeet
48
MISCELLANEOUS
LARGER
BIRDS
Quaker
parakeet
105
Eclectus
parrot
387
Ringneck
parakeet
125
White‐bellied
caique
166
Black‐headed
caique
156
Alexandrian
parakeet
209
Moustache
parakeet
121
Rainbow
lory
141
80
–
100
45
–
55
30
–
36
25
–
31
43
–
53
189
112
63
43
67
95
–
115
345
–
425
110
–
135
150
–
180
140
–
170
185
–
230
110
–
135
125
–
155
170
716
169
204
209
323
163
186