Band on cockatiels leg

Question
Hi I just purchased a cockatiel from PetSmart and the band on its leg has BCCA 90 (vertical) 1764. It is a red band could you tell me what that means?

Thanks,
Amye Bracewell

Answer
Hi, Amye.  Thanks for posting!

The BCCA could be the breeder's initials, the initials of the breeder's company (if the breeder has a business selling birds), or the initials of a bird club the breeder belongs to.  The 90 could be the bird's hatch year (is your bird a young bird or older bird?).  Usually the hatch year is imprinted vertically or the opposite direction from other printing) on a leg band.  The 1764 is probably the bird's individual identification number assigned by the breeder.  The color red doesn't really mean anything except that the breeder likes this color, however, some official clubs pick a different color to represent each year.

Chrys