Do quails “silver” as they get old?

[Green Bean Quail]

Hey guys!
My male, Blondie is quite the dirty man since I had peat moss in the cage, he LOVES to roll around in it and has now transitioned from pearly white to grey. But a dirty quail is a happy quail I guess! Also, I noticed on his forehead and by his beak he is developing new, white feathers, and it reminded me of my Labrador slivering around the muzzle with age. Do quails do something similar?

 

[nchls school]

Birds do not get grey as a dog does as it gets older. However, it is fairly common for birds to "change" colors when they molt. I have/had a calico hen that was mostly blacks and browns with a white background. Now she is 3 years old-the browns are gone and the hen is mostly white with some black streaks-no longer calico. My guess is that something similar is happening with your quail. From what I've seen this color changing happens mostly with birds that are not the normal coloring; like your white male.

 

[Green Bean Quail]

Birds do not get grey as a dog does as it gets older. However, it is fairly common for birds to "change" colors when they molt. I have/had a calico hen that was mostly blacks and browns with a white background. Now she is 3 years old-the browns are gone and the hen is mostly white with some black streaks-no longer calico. My guess is that something similar is happening with your quail. From what I've seen this color changing happens mostly with birds that are not the normal coloring; like your white male.

Good to know! Thank you!