Blood mark on beak?

Hello all. I noticed Basil has a strange mark on his beak. It looks like a scab in color but I cannot feel anything when I rub a finger on it. He did have some chop veggies that had beets in it, could it be a stain from them? Any advice would be appreciated.

Hope you and your flocks are healthy.



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That location of the beak would be from contact with something.

It is possible that beets maybe the source, but it is worth widening your considerations.
- Using a wet finger try clean the spot off. Food based should quick come off.
- Full body inspection looking for an possible injury, blood feather, etc... Blood comes off, but not as easily as a food base stain.

Let us know what you find...

Great looking guy you have there!

I have tried to wipe it off but he’s not really a cuddler. He gets upset and runs away. I might towel him and see if I can inspect it more there. It’s not solid food or anything like that because it has no “feel” to it when rubbing finger over it.

I give him showers every couple of days and I don’t see anything that looks like broken blood feathers or anything like that. He is slowly starting the molt, so I will double check his body again.

Thank you, he’s 22 and still in great shape. His back feathers have a lot of stress marks though, but I’ve already posted about that.


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Well, beet stain would not provide any change in surface height that the human finger tip could discern.

When you bathe him next, take a bit of time for a good look see...

The stain is not large enough to have an Amazon Snob like me nerviest as our 22 year old DYH Amazon commonly will display a stain that size from anything from a new feather not coming in based on his likely, a recent play session, etc...

Look for areas that feathers are kind of stuck together and those areas that new feathers are erupting.

If the showers you give him are of the full saturation variety, I doubt it's a food stain. Given the material, and frequency of showers, I would think even beets would've washed off.

It could be a bruise, actually.

In case you should decide to pursue professional veterinary advice...
Certified Avian Vets
https://abvp.com/animal-owners/find-an-abvp-specialist/
If none are near you...
Avian Veterinarians
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803
In my opinion, any of the vets listed above should be better than a regular vet, although exceptions do exist!
Sometimes, it helps just to Google "avian veterinarian - [YOUR LOCATION]"
And here is a link concerning COVID issues...
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-health-care/85090-covid-19-veterinary-care.html

Anansi said:

If the showers you give him are of the full saturation variety, I doubt it's a food stain. Given the material, and frequency of showers, I would think even beets would've washed off.

It could be a bruise, actually.

Click to expand...

I'm assuming you are talking about a bruise else where on the body as I was not aware of there being blood structures that close to the tip of a Parrot's bill, well at least not on Amazons!

Anansi said:

If the showers you give him are of the full saturation variety, I doubt it's a food stain. Given the material, and frequency of showers, I would think even beets would've washed off.

It could be a bruise, actually.

Click to expand...

He usually gets fully soaked. He runs around at the bottom of the shower with wings open for a while and then he will lay flat for a bit. When he’s done he moves out of the shower stream and will start to whistle or call to me.


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GaleriaGila said:

In case you should decide to pursue professional veterinary advice...
Certified Avian Vets
https://abvp.com/animal-owners/find-an-abvp-specialist/
If none are near you...
Avian Veterinarians
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803
In my opinion, any of the vets listed above should be better than a regular vet, although exceptions do exist!
Sometimes, it helps just to Google "avian veterinarian - [YOUR LOCATION]"
And here is a link concerning COVID issues...
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-health-care/85090-covid-19-veterinary-care.html

Click to expand...

I don’t think it’s something majorly wrong with him. I have touched it, tried to wash it off, etc. it’s gotten a bit lighter but still there. It’s smooth to the touch and he doesn’t seem bothered by it. His weight is consistently between his normal 360-370g.


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So.... I think whoever said it is a bruise could be correct. Basil has his hormones going crazy lately, and wants to mate with anything he can. Feet are especially a thing for him now. But another thing he has started doing is “plowing the field” with his beak. Either on the bottom of his acrylic cage, the floor, or top of the cage, he will lower his beak to touch the ground, and run full speed forward like he is plowing! He doesn’t do it a lot but it’s something new he started just a couple weeks ago. So maybe that spot is where the beak is rubbing against the ground. I will try to video it if he does it any time soon.

Also he is going into all dark spaces lately. Under the bed. Under the kitchen cabinets. Under my desk. I really need to get him a lady friend.


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SailBoat said:

Anansi said:

If the showers you give him are of the full saturation variety, I doubt it's a food stain. Given the material, and frequency of showers, I would think even beets would've washed off.

It could be a bruise, actually.

Click to expand...

I'm assuming you are talking about a bruise else where on the body as I was not aware of there being blood structures that close to the tip of a Parrot's bill, well at least not on Amazons!

Click to expand...

Nope, I meant the beak. Parrots can definitely bruise, there. It once happened to my Bixby when he flew into a wall. Not to mention that with male ekkies, their beaks often warm significantly and even turn brighter shades of yellow and orange when they're feeling... frisky. So there must be blood vessels running through. Not a lot, and not down near the tip, but definitely a few.

Alembic772 said:

So.... I think whoever said it is a bruise could be correct. Basil has his hormones going crazy lately, and wants to mate with anything he can. Feet are especially a thing for him now. But another thing he has started doing is “plowing the field” with his beak. Either on the bottom of his acrylic cage, the floor, or top of the cage, he will lower his beak to touch the ground, and run full speed forward like he is plowing! He doesn’t do it a lot but it’s something new he started just a couple weeks ago. So maybe that spot is where the beak is rubbing against the ground. I will try to video it if he does it any time soon.

Also he is going into all dark spaces lately. Under the bed. Under the kitchen cabinets. Under my desk. I really need to get him a lady friend.

Click to expand...

Wow. That would explain it. I know they often like to rub their beaks against the bars of their cages, but that whole plowing bit takes it to a whole other level.

I'd advise restricting access to those kinds of dark, nesty places that might trigger more hormonal behavior. Might cut down on the plowing behavior as well. Hopefully. And regulating daylight hours and cutting down on sugars and fats in the diet might help as well.