Budgerigar: Colour Mutations
Type
of Mutation |
Mutations
/ Polymorphisms |
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Base
Colour |
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Markings |
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Facial
Colour |
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Colour
Alteration |
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Colour
Masking |
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Patterns
of White |
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Dilution |
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Feather |
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| Abnormalities |
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Normal Light Green - The Wild-type Budgerigar
The Normal Light Green has a solid lime grass green main plumage colour i.e. from the upper breast to the tail base. The crown, face and mask are brilliant yellow, with a royal blue to purple cheek patch and Normal markings. The tail is dark blue-black. Eyes are dark, bill a greenish horn colour, legs and feet are grey with black claws. Cere is of full pigmentation strength, being bright blue in the adult cock and ranging from chocolate brown to powder blue in the adult hen.
Normal refers to the pure black 'zebra' markings extending from the back of the crown, down the neck, cheeks, nape, back and wings, plus the black mask spots. In the Green series bird, the black is scalloped with yellow and green. As Normal is a marking, it can also occur in any other colour and so alternatively, in the Blue series, the black is scalloped with white and blue.
Light Green can be combined with any other marking, pattern, structural or pigmentation mutation.
Both Normal and Light Green are inheritantly dominant.
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Normal
Light Green cocks |
The Sky Blue has a light sky blue (hence the name) main plumage colour. The crown, face and mask are pure white, with a royal blue cheek patch. The tail is dark blue-black. Eyes are dark, bill a greenish horn colour, legs and feet are grey with black claws. Cere is of full pigmentation strength. When Sky Blue is combined with the Normal gene, the bird has black markings scalloped with white and blue.
The blue gene only affects the yellow psittacin layer which overlays the cloudy structural layer in the feather cortex. The cloudy structural layer is responsible for refracting and reflecting light off of it's textured surface and creating the illusion of blue i.e. most avian species do not possess any blue pigment in their feathers and so the colour blue is due to the way light bounces off the textured cloudy layer and enters our eyes.
In the green series bird, a combination of the yellow psittacin and the cloudy structural layer creates an optical illusion of green plumage (the yellow acts as a filter to the blue feedback from the cloudy layer). Although in the case of the Sky Blue. the blue gene completely removes the yellow psittcin layer and so the bird is visually blue.
Sky Blue can be combined with any other marking, pattern, structural or pigmentation mutation.
Sky Blue is inheritantly recessive.
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Normal
Skyblue cock |
Normal
Skyblue hen |
Opaline
Skyblue hen |
The wild type Budgerigar
The Normal refers to the pure black 'zebra' markings extending from the back of the crown, down the neck, cheeks, nape, back and wings. In the Green series bird, the black is scalloped with yellow and green. Alternatively, in the Blue series, the black is scalloped with white and blue.
The Wild-type Budgerigar is the Normal Light Green.
Inheritantly dominant.
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Normal
Light Green cock |
The Opaline refers to the partial removal of melanin markings extending from the back of the crown, down the neck, cheeks and nape, down to a clear V-shape on the back. There is a ticking and fine laced effect on the latter 'opalined' markings (idealy minimal with no flecking on the crown), with a patch of suffusion of body colour on the rear of the head and back. On the wing markings, the scalloping in the Green series bird seem slightly less defined, becomes greener (i.e. heavy body colour suffusion in the wings), having a greater blending effect into the black markings. Alternatively, in the Blue series, the black is mostly scalloped with faded white.
The Opaline gene causes the redistribution of melanin from the hind neck and the mantle, so that the edges of the feathers alter to the mask and body plumage colour. There is also a very slight dilution in body colour.
Inheritantly sex-linked.
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Opaline
Light Green hen |
Opaline
Dark Green hen |
In the Saddleback, the Opaline effect seems to be blended grey from the nape to the characteristic Opaline V-shape, and then restarts at the wing covert markings, also with a blending of melanin, visable as a greying into the back and shoulder markings. The flight feathers are bicolour - marking base colour and black - there is no inter-medial white section. The resemblance to an Opaline is almost identical in the lack of head markings, yet the markings seem even more diluted and condensed. A big difference to the Oplaine is the fact that there is no body colour suffusion in the markings, rather yellow in Green series birds and white in the Blue series.
The rest of the bird, incuding the tail feathers, legs and feet, are as a usual Normal bird.
The Saddleback can be combined with any other colour, but it is best not to mix with Opalines, Spangles or Clearwings, as this type of breeding would ultimately destroy the variety.
Inherantly recessive.
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Saddleback
Olive |
Saddleback
Sky Blue |
The Cinnamon gene acts to measurably dilute eumelanin via incomplete oxidation. Thus the melanin is represented as brown rather than black. There is a light brown suffusion overlaying the plumage colour, which ultimately visually dilutes the depth of colour by up to 50%, making them appear rather 'washed-out'. This effect turns a Light Green from a rich grassy green to a light lime, and a Sky Blue to a powder blue. In the Cinnamon, the black head, back, and wing markings of the Normal are replaced with brown.The tail is blue with a hint of cinnamon. Cheek patches are unaffected.
Chicks hatch with plum-red eyes, which gradually change to dark by the time the chick is a week old. Also, cocks generally have a deeper body colour than hens.
Inherantly sex-linked.
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Cinnamon
Light Green hen |
Cinnamon
Light Green hen |
Cinnamon
Sky Blue hen |
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Opaline
Cinnamon Sky Blue hen |
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The Brownwing appears visually as a Cinnamon except for the markings being deep dull dark brown, not Cinnamon, plus as the Brownwing was developed from the Clearwing, it has an undiluted body colour - the Cinnamon causes a slight dilution. Also on hatching chicks do not have red eyes - their eyes, throughout life are dark with a white iris. The Brownwing is another Factor mutation, occuring in three shades when combined with the Dark Factor.
It is best to breed a Brownwing to a Greywing to preserve the colour.
Inherantly recessive, being genetically similar to the Fallow.
As it is a Dilute, the Greywing gene causes the markings to become silver grey and the body colour to be diluted to about 50% of the original colour. The tail becomed light blue with a grey overcast. The cheek patches become light blue-purple.
Inherantly recessive, but co-dominant to Dilute.
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Greywing
Light Green cock |
Greywing
Light Green cock |
Greywing Grey-Green cock |
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Greywing
Sky Blue hen |
Greywing
Sky Blue cock & hen |
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Greywing
Sky Blue cock |
Greywing
Cobalt cock |
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Greywing
Mauve hen |
Greywing
Grey cock |
Greywing
Yellowface Type 1 Grey cock |
The Spangle gene causes inverted markings i.e. finely edged/scalloped
with black, with the base colour (yellow or white) being on the
inner of the feather. This inversion also includes the mask spots
which should consist of a dark banded clear ring, rather than
the solid spot of the Normal. Cheek patches can vary from undiluted
to silvery-white.
The Spangle is a double factored mutation, meaning a bird can be either Single Factor (SF) or Double Factor (DF). SF birds show the typical Spangle markings, whilst DF bird are completely devoid of markings or body plumage colour. Therefore, a Green series DF Spangle is pure yellow and a Blue series DF if white i.e. visually identical to Dark-eyed Clears.
Spangle can be combined with any mutation although Cinnamon and Dilutes would reduce the markings. Also be careful with Opalines. Whilst a good Opaline SF Spangle can be beautiful, there is the danger of washing out the wing and spot markings.
Inherantly incomplete dominant.
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Opaline
SF Spangle Dark Green hen |
Opaline SF Spangle Light Green cock | Opaline
SF Spangle Light Green cock |
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Opaline
SF Spangle Light Green cock |
Opaline
SF Spangle Dark Green hen |
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Opaline
SF Spangle Dark Green hen |
Opaline
SF Spangle Light Green cock |
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Opaline
SF Spangle Light Green hen |
Opaline
SF Spangle Olive cock |
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Opaline
SF Spangle Sky Blue hen |
Opaline
SF Spangle Sky Blue cock |
Opaline
SF Spangle Cobalt Violet cock |
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Opaline
SF Spangle Grey cock |
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Opaline
SF Spangle Yellowface Type 1 Sky Blue hen |
Opaline
SF Spangle Yellowface Type 1 Cobalt Violet cock |
DF
Spangle Yellowface Type 3 Blue series cock |
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DF
Spangle Green series cock |
DF
Spangle Blue series cock |
Clearwing - Yellowwing & Whitewing
A Clearwing has very faint, non-defined, or ideally, no wing markings, only full strength base colour, be it pure yellow or brilliant white. Although a Clearwing with truly "clear" wings is a rare find - Most still retain at least a hint of light grey markings. The main plumage colour and cheek patches are not diluted and should be as dark as possible.
Green series Clearwings are often given their own name: Yellowwing. As are the Blue series Clearwings: Whitewing.
Clearwing occurs in combination with any other colour.
Inherantly recessive, but dominant to Dilute.
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Clearwing
(Yellowwing) Light Green cock |
Clearwing
(Yellowwing) Light Green cock |
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Clearwing
(Whitewing) Sky Blue hen |
Clearwing
(Whitewing) Sky Blue cock |
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Clearwing
(Whitewing) Sky Blue cock |
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The Rainbow is an unofficial name for a Blue series Opaline Clearwing Yellowface Type 1 and as such they are not actually a seperate mutation, just a composite, and so when exhibited are shown as Clearwings. Occassionally, Blue series Opaline Greywing Yellowface Type 1, Blue series Opaline Dilute Yellowface Type 1 and Blue series Opaline SF Spangle Yellowface Type 1 are also referred to as Rainbows (the latter Spangle Rainbow is much easier to produce then a Clearwing Rainbow and results in a large exhibition bird).
An American variety is the Seafoam, also another unofficial name for a Rainbow composite variety, typically in Yellowface Type 2, whereby there are absolutely no wing markings.
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Rainbow:
Opaline Clearwing Yellowface Type 1 Cobalt cock |
A very new mutation which is melanistic i.e. the gene cause the lay down of more melanin than is normal. Creates an extension of the markings to include a black barred forehead, mask and breast, with an excess and merging of the mask spots, yet the body plumage colour remains bright with no grey suffusions.
Inherantly recessive.
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Blackface
Cinnamon Light Green hen |
Blackface
Cobalt Violet hen |
Yellowface (Yellowface Type 1 & Yellowface Type 2) & Goldenface
The Yellowface, or as it is techinally known, the Yellowface Type 1 gene causes a lemon yellow head, face and mask and yellow edge on the tail feathers. The yellow colour is resticted to the head only - the yellow does not suffuse into the main body colour (although ocassionally graduates slightly into the upper breast), but will suffuse into any other white areas on the wings, back, nape and head.
It is a co-dominant mutation i.e. factored - SF and DF; and DF Yellowface Type 1 Blue are always visibly non-Yellowfaced and just look Blue with a white face. Pairings:
Parents |
SF Yellowface Type 1 Blue | X |
Blue | DF Yellowface Type 1 Blue (visual white-face blue) |
X | Blue | SF Yellowface Type 1 Blue | X | SF Yellowface Type 1 Blue | |||||
| Offspring |
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100% SF Yellowface Type 1 Blue |
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Parents |
DF Yellowface Type 1 Blue (visual white-face blue) | X | SF Yellowface Type 1 Blue | DF Yellowface Type 1 Blue (visual white-face blue) | X | DF Yellowface Type 1 Blue (visual white-face blue) | ||||||||
| Offspring |
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100% DF Yellowface Type 1 Blue (visual white-face blue) |
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Normal
Yellowface Type 1 Sky Blue cock |
Normal
Yellowface Type 1 Cobalt cock |
Normal
Yellowface Type 1 Mauve cock |
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Opaline
Yellowface Type 1 Mauve hen |
Opaline
Yellowface Type 1 Grey cocks |
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Yellowface Type 1 can occur in any mutation, but are best seen on Blue series birds. If combined with a Green series bird, the yellow-face will be invisible.
The Yellowface Type 2 gene still a co-dominant gene and thus is factored and the DF birds are still visually Yellowface - they are not hidden as a white face; BUT the Yellowface Type 2 gene is dominant to the Yellowface Type 1, meaning that it is visually expressed and the Type 1 is masked in a genotypically Type 1-Type 2 bird.
The medium lemon yellow colour works just like the Goldenface, whereby the yellow can suffuse into the entire plumage, including the wings and body giving a greenish hue to the blue. This suffusion occurs after first adult moult.
Parents |
SF Yellowface Type 2 Blue | X |
Blue | DF Yellowface Type 2 Blue (visual yellowface) | X | Blue | SF Yellowface Type 2 Blue | X | SF Yellowface Type 2 Blue | |||||
| Offspring |
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100% SF Yellowface Type 2 Blue |
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Parents |
DF Yellowface Type 2 Blue (visual yellowface) | X | SF Yellowface Type 2 Blue | DF Yellowface Type 2 Blue (visual yellowface) | X | DF Yellowface Type 2 Blue (visual yellowface) | ||||||||
| Offspring |
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100% DF Yellowface Type 2 Blue (visual yellowface) |
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Cinnamon
Yellowface Type 2 Sky Blue hen |
The Goldenface, or Yellowface Type 2, results in a deep shade of yellow and causes the yellow to suffuse into the entire body colour after first adult moult. Therefore the entire body has a yellow suffusion, causing a green tint in a Blue series bird.
Goldenface can occur in any mutation, but are best seen on Blue series birds. If combined with a Green series bird, the yellow-face will be invisible.
Inherantly co-dominant, just like the two Yellowface genes, but like the Yellowface Type 2, DF birds are still visually Yellowface, only of a deeper yello- they are not hidden as a white face.
Parents |
SF Goldenface Blue | X |
Blue | DF Goldenface Blue (visual yellowface) | X | Blue | SF Goldenface Blue | X | SF Goldenface Blue | |||||
| Offspring |
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100% SF Goldenface Blue |
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Parents |
DF Goldenface Blue (visual yellowface) | X | SF Goldenface Blue | DF Goldenface Blue (visual yellowface) | X | DF Goldenface Blue (visual yellowface) | ||||||||
| Offspring |
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100% DF Goldenface Blue (visual yellowface) |
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Opaline
SF
Goldenface Grey
cock |
Normal
DF
Goldenface
Grey |
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Full-Crested
Opaline DF
Goldenface SF Spangle Sky Blue hen |
Opaline
DF
Goldenface SF Spangle Sky Blue Violet hen |
Opaline
DF
Goldenface SF Spangle Mauve Violet cock |
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The Dark Factor causes the diameter of the spongy layer which hold the melanin granules to decrease, which in turn results in a lessened reflectance and refraction of light, and thus the strength and concentration of the colour seems visually increased and darkened. Therefore the main plumage is darkened by one shade. The Single Factor (SF), or one dark factor (i.e. one dark gene), in the Green series, alters the Light Green into the Dark Green and the Sky Blue to Cobalt in the Blue series. A Double Factor (DF), or two dark factors (i.e. two dark genes) produce the Olive and the Mauve.
The Dark Factor can be combined with any other marking, pattern, structural or pigmentation mutation.
Dark Factor is inheritantly incomplete dominant.
Green Series:
Dark Green
The
Dark Green has a solid bottle green main plumage colour. The cheek
patch becomes a dark royal blue to purple. The tail is a very
dark blue-black.
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Normal
Dark Green hen |
Opaline
Dark Green hen |
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Normal
Dark Green cock |
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Opaline
Dark Green hen |
Olive (aka Double Dark green)
The Olive has a very dark olive green main plumage colour. The cheek patch becomes a very dark navy blue to purple. The tail is a very dark navy blue-black.
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Normal
Olive cock |
Normal
Olive cock |
Normal
Olive hen |
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Normal
Olive cock |
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Opaline
Olive cock |
Blue Series:
Cobalt (Dark Blue)
The Cobalt has a dark cobalt blue main plumage colour. The cheek patch becomes a dark royal blue to purple. The tail is a very dark navy blue-black.
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Normal
Cobalt cock, Opaline Cobalt cock, Whitewing Cobalt hen |
Normal
Cobalt hen |
Opaline
Cobalt hen |
Mauve (Double Dark Blue)
The Mauve has a very dark purple-blue-grey main plumage colour. The cheek patch becomes a very dark navy blue to purple. The tail is a very dark navy blue-black.
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Normal
Mauve hen |
Normal
Mauve cock |
The Violet Factor intensifies colour by changing the diameter of the vacuoles in the spongy layer which holds the melanin granules, creating a varied distribution of melanin in the barbs. This increased spacing fo the melanin granules causes violet light waves to be refected instead of blue.
The Violet Factor can be combined with any colour mutation in both the Green and Blue series, but to see the Violet Factor in it's best form, it is best to try and breed the Violet into a Cobalt line. The effect is also intensifed by the amount of Violet Factors the bird posesses: one (SF) or two (DF) genes.
Violet Factor is inherantly dominant.
Blue Series:
Cobalt Violet
The Cobalt Violet has a dark cobalt blue-purple main plumage colour. The cheek patch becomes a dark royal blue to purple. The tail is a dark purple-black.
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Normal
Cobalt Violet cock |
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Opaline
Cobalt Violet cock |
Normal
Cobalt Violet hen |
Normal Mauve Violet cock |
The Grey Factor changes the structural location of melanin at the centre of the barb, preventing the reflection of blue light waves. Thus Green series birds become Grey-Green and blue series become Grey.
Another double factored mutation which means a Grey can be SF or DF.
The Grey has a solid grey main plumage colour which can vary in intensity - occurs in Light, Medium and Dark Shades, according to whether the mutation is combined with the Dark Factor. There is a bluish tinge on the sides of the neck. The tail is black. Eyes are dark, bill a greenish horn colour, legs and feet are grey with black claws. Cheek patches are a purple-grey.
Inherantly dominant and can be combined with any other mutation.
Green Series:
The Grey-Green has a solid grey-green main plumage colour. When acting on the Light Green, it becomes Light Grey-Green; Dark Green is Medium Grey-Green; and Olive is Dark Grey-Green. The tail is black. Eyes are dark, bill a greenish horn colour, legs and feet are grey with black claws. Cheek patches are a purple-grey to slate.
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Normal
Light Grey-Green hen |
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Normal
Light Grey-Green cock |
Normal
Medium Grey-Green cock & Opaline Dark Grey-Green Hen |
Blue Series:
The Grey has a solid grey main plumage colour. When acting on Sky Blue, it becomes Light Grey; Cobalt is Medium Grey; and Mauve is Dark Grey. The tail is black. Eyes are dark, bill a greenish horn colour, legs and feet are grey with black claws. Cheek patches are a purple-grey to slate.
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Normal
Medium Grey cock |
Opaline
Light Grey cock |
Normal
Light Grey cock |
Grey Yellow & Grey White
The Dilute plus the Grey Factor.
Recessive Grey (aka English or Australian Grey)
In comparision to dominant Grey Factor birds, Recessive Greys can be distinguished by the following: he body colour is rather patchy or mottled; they don't possess the bluish tinge on the sides of the neck typical of dominant Grey; pale grey cheek patch, blending into the body colour; the upper surface of the tail coverts and flight feathers are satin grey, with the quill and underneath being black; rump and back are especially glossy.
Occurs in Green and Blue series birds.
Inherantly recessive.
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Opaline
Recessive Grey hen |
The Slate Factor occurs in three shades: Light, Medium and Dark, but are of a much reduced gradation than the Dark Factor. The gene works best on the the Blue series, where the main body plumage will take on it's name-sake: a dull dark slate-bluish-grey with no violet suffusion, but with a slight patchy/mottled appearence and a darker rump.
Markings are jet black. Cheek patches are dull blue with no violet - similar to the mauve. Tail feathers are a dull deep blue. The dullness of the colour is most likely due to the presence of excess melanins in the cortex of the feather, aswell as the medulla, overlying an intense blue effect. Slate Mauves are the darkest coloured Budgerigars apart from the very rare Anthracite.
The Slate can be easily distinguished from a Grey Factor bird by the Slates' bluish undertones within the body plumage and a deep dull blue tail feather- a Grey is simply pure grey with no blue suffusion and black tail feathers.
If the Slate gene is present in a Green-series bird, it has an almost Dark Factor and Violet Factor effect. In explanation, Slate Light Greens look like pale Dark Violet Greens, except for the dull dark cheek patches and markings; Slate Dark Greens look like pale Olive Violet Greens; and Slate Olive Greens are a shade darker than Olive Violet Greens.
Inherantly
sex-linked, but will be co-dominant to all Green and Blue series
colours, by darkening them slightly.
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Normal
Light Slate hen |
The Anthracite gene acts very similarly to the Slate gene, by laying down excess black melanins, although in this case there is a reduced bluish undertone, resulting in a very deep black-grey bird with clearly defined dull jet black markings and a dull very dark navy to black cheek patch. Pinkish-blue-grey legs and feet.
Inherantly recessive.
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Normal
Anthracite |
Normal
Anthracite chick |
The Ino gene cause a complete removal of both eumelanin and phaeomelanin, but psittacin pigmentation remains unaltered. The dark melanin layer which protects against excessive light entering the eye is removed also giving the Ino bright red eyes. The latter can also make an Ino's eyes more sensitive and some have impared sight as a result of UV-A and UV-B damage. Legs and feet are pink with clear claws. The cere usually remains the same colour as a fledging chicks - fleshy pink-purple-blue in the cock and pale white-purple-blue with white areas surrounding the nares in the hen.
In the Green series bird, the Ino produces a Lutino - a pure brilliant yellow bird devoid of markings except for white cheek patches, a white tail and white flight feathers. In the Blue series bird, the Ino produces an Albino - a pure brilliant white bird, completely devoid of markings.
Yellow-Albinos can occur if the bird is also possessing the Yellowface gene.
There are two forms of the Ino gene - the most common one which is inherantly sex-linked and thus known as the SL (sex-linked) Ino. The rarer form is the NSL Ino (non-sex-linked), which is simply recessive. The two forms are visually identical, although can be identified via breeding.
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Lutino
cock |
Non-Sex-Linked
(NSL) Albino cock |
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Non-Sex-Linked
Albino cock |
Non-Sex-Linked Lutino cock |
Lacewings are genetically Cinnamon-Inos - a co-dominant genotypic and phenotypic combination of the two sex-linked genes. Therefore they are visually (and genetically) a Lutino or Albino with light Cinnamon markings. Cheek patches are a light tan. Eyes are dark red - deeper than an Inos and more like those of a Cinnamon.
Inherantly sex-linked.
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Green
series Lacewing cocks |
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Blue
series Lacewing cock |
Blue
series Lacewing hen |
Dominant Pied (aka Australian Pied, Banded Pied)
The Australian Dominant Pied gene cause a complete but selective removal of melanins only. Ideally, the bird should be 40-60% pied, be symmetrically pied and evenly coloured. Dominant Pied usually presents with a band of solid (or slightly broken) body colour on the upper breast and chest, with the abdomen being pied, or rather yellow or white dependant on the base colour. Cheek patches are undiluted. Legs and feet are often variaged pink and grey.
Visually, in the Dominant Pied, the pied areas (i.e. yellow or white) look as if they cover the body colour.
Dominant Pied can be combined with any other colour mutation, although when bred with the Dilutes, the strength of marking is lost and thus is undesirable.
Inherantly incomplete dominant, so only requires one parent to be Dominant Pied in order to breed Dominant Pied offpring,
Co-dominant with Recessive Pied and so when bred with the latter, a Dark-eyed Clear can result.
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Normal
Australian Dominant Pied Light Green cock |
Normal
Australian Dominant Pied Light Green cock |
Normal
Australian Dominant Pied Dark Green cock |
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Normal
Australian Dominant Pied Dark Grey-Green cocks |
Normal
Australian Dominant Pied Sky Blue cock |
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Normal
Australian Dominant Pied Sky Blue hen |
Normal
Australian Dominant Pied Medium Grey cock |
PRESUMED EXTINCT
The Dutch Pied has a head spot or patch, and immediateiy below the mask is a small clear area of yellow or white similar to Recessive Pieds. The rest of the body has variegated patches of clear colour on a normal body ground colour. The wings are approximately 50% dark, 50% ground colour (white or yellow). The dark markings are usually polka-dotted or grizzled. Flight feathers are a mixture of clear and dark, and the long tail feathers could be the same. An attractive and colourful Budgerigar, it is a pity if the Dutch Pied truly has gone.
Inherantly incomplete dominant.
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Opaline
Olive Dutch Dominant Pied cock |
Normal
Sky Blue Dutch Dominant Pied hen |
Recessive Pied (aka Danish Pied, Harlequin)
Recessive
Pied is another mutation which results in the selective removal
of melanin.
Usually well over 50% pied, symmetrical and evenly coloured. In
reverse to the Dominant Pied, the Recessive Pied has a band of
pied (yellow or white) accross the upper breast and chest, with
the abdomen being covered by solid body colour. Cheek patches
are silvery-white. The tell-tale sign of a Recessive Pied is that
the eyes remain chick black i.e. there is no development of the
white iris ring in adulthood, as seen in all other colour mutations.
Legs and feet are often variaged pink and grey.
Visually, in the Recessive Pied, the solid body coloured areas look as though they overlay the yellow or white pied areas.
Recessive Pied can be combined with any other colour mutation, although when bred with the Dilutes, the strength of marking is lost and thus is undesirable.
Inherantly recessive, so requires both parents to possess the Recessive Pied gene, either in visual or hidden split form, in order to breed Recessive Pied offpring,
Co-dominant with Dominant Pied and Clearflight and so when bred the latter, Dark-eyed Clears can result.
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Normal
Recessive Pied Dark Green cock |
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Normal
Recessive Pied Sky Blue cock |
Normal
Recessive Pied Cobalt hen |
Normal
Recessive Pied Mauve Violet cock |
Possibly a variation of the Dominant Pied.
A pied bird with the piedness only restricted to the flight feathers and a small patch on the back of the head. The body colour should show preferably no pied patches, although a minimal are allowed. Legs and feet are mottled grey or fleshy pink.
Co-dominant with Recessive Pied and so when bred with the latter, a Dark-eyed Clear can result.
Inherantly
incomplete dominant.
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Opaline
Clearflight Olive cock |
Opaline
Yellowface Type 1 Clearflight Cobalt hen |
A pairing of a of a Dominant Pied and a Recessive Pied can co-dominantly result in Dark-eyed Clear offspring, which are essentially Dominant Pied split Recessive Pied.
The bird is visually similar to an Ino but has dark eyes and mottled legs and feet.
Inherantly dominant-recessive.
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Green
series Dark-eyed Clear |
Blue
series Dark-eyed Clear |
Mottled are very similar in appearance to the Recessive Pied, except that the colour changes over time. When Mottled chicks fledge, they are Normals but during their first adult moult, they begin to 'mottle' i.e. gain yellow (Green series) or white (Blue series) feathers. beginning on the rump and vent and gradually extending upwards, to include the wings. The intensity of mottling varies greatly.
Inherantly recessive.
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Opaline
Mottled Grey-Green hen |
Due to a faulty split of the fertilised egg - the zygote, into XX (male) or XY (female) chromosomes, the Halfsider is an XXY or XXXY in sex. Therefore, a Halfsider is half male, half female, and also half Green series and half Blue series, hence it's name.
Sterile.
 
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Halfsiders |
Dilute - Yellow & White (aka Suffused, Dilute Green, Dilute Blue)
Dilutes can be a difficult variety to breed. Green series Dilutes are named Yellows and Blue series are Whites. Dilutes most frequently have a slight body colour suffusion, varying in intensity from minimal, which is similar to a Dark-eyed Self to 50% of the base body colour (though most Dilutes carry a 25-50% suffusion). They are visually diluted down to the base colour - yellow or white (hence the names), with very pale grey, or ideally, no wing markings.
Dilutes are also available in three shades, according to whether the bird possesses a Dark Factor or not. So in the Yellow there is the: Light Yellow (Light Green bird), Dark Yellow (Dark Green bird) and Olive Yellow (Olive bird). Also, in the White there is the: Light White (Sky Blue bird), Dark White (Cobalt bird) and Mauve White (Mauve bird).
Flight and tail feathers are off white to pale grey. Cheek patches are very pale bluish-purple - hardly visible. Dark eyes and pinkish-blue or mottled grey legs and feet.
Inherantly recessive.
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Dilute
Light Green cock |
Dilute
Light Green hen |
Dilute
Grey-Green cock |
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Dilute
Light Grey cock |
Texas Clearbody (aka Lime, Isabel, Par-Ino, Agate, Pallid)
The Texas Clearbody is actually a Pallid. The Pallid mutation causes a 60% reduction of the visible eumelanin resulting in a bright yellow bird with a green suffusion in the body plumage, which may vary in intensity from absolutely minimal to 50% of normal body colour depth. The suffusion is gradated downwards, increasing in shade. Markings are completely undiluted.
Flight and tail feathers are light grey. Cheek patches are undiluted. Eyes are black with a white iris. Legs and feet are pinkish-grey, occcasionally mottled.
On hatching, chicks deep red eyes which become dark once the chick is a week old.
Inherantly sex-linked, just like Cinnamon and Ino, however, the pallid allele is situated at the sex-linked ino-locus. Therefore, Pallid is a multiple allolomorph of this locus. To put it simply: Pallid is another mutation of the ino-locus, which shows a less dramatic effect than Ino. So therefore Pallid, or Texas Clearbody, is akin to the Cinnamon-Ino, aka the Lacewing.
If a Pallid x Ino pairing is bred, cock offspring which can show a co-dominant combination, effectively being a n intermediate colour shade between Pallid and Ino, proving Pallid is allelic to Ino. These cocks are known as Pallidinos. Pallidino cocks are visually very light coloured Pallids and thus are not for exhibition. Hens can never be Pallidinos because of their chormosomal structure (XY), they can therefore never be split for sex-linked, they must show the mutation they inherit - Pallid OR Ino. When a Pallidino cock is paired to a Normal Green hen the offspring will be: Pallid hens; Ino hens; Green/Ino cocks; and Green/Pallid cocks.
Inherantly dominant.
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Opaline
Texas Clearbody Light Green cock |
Normal
Texas Clearbody Light Light Grey-Green hen |
Normal
Texas Clearbody Light Light Grey-Green cock |
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Texas
Clearbody Grey cock |
Texas
Clearbody Grey hen |
Texas
Clearbody Grey cock |
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Texas
Clearbody Opaline SF Violet cock |
Texas
Clearbody Yellowface Type 2 Opaline Sky Blue hen |
Texas
Clearbody Mauve SF Violet cock |
Easley Clearbody (aka Laced Clearbody, Edged Dilute)
The Easley Clearbody gene is basically the Edged Dilute gene which causes a redistribution of eumelanin to the edge of the feathers, causing pure jet black markings, flight and tail feathers. The markings have a clear, well-defined yellow/white border, with no body colour suffusion. Cheek patches are grey/silver regardless of the main plumage colour. In comparison to the Texas Clearbody, the Edged Dilute gene creates a significantly lessened body plumage suffusion, most typically minimal but in some birds the extent of suffusion can reach 50%, again in a gradation. Occurs in SF or DF, with DF being more diluted.
Cheek patches: smokey grey. Eyes, black with a white iris. Legs and feet are pink-grey mottled.
Inherantly dominant.
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SF
Easley Clearbody Normal Grey hen |
DF
Easley Clearbody Opaline Grey hen |
Fallow - German (aka Bronze or Brown Fallow), English (aka Grey-brown or Dun Fallow), Scottish (Plum-eyed Fallow) & Australian (aka Beige or Pale-brown Fallow)
The
Fallow is a 50% dilution which alters the melanin granules, making
the even smaller then those of a Cinnamon, changing them into
a greyish-brown colour. Pink legs and feet.
Fallows have slightly diluted body colour and dark bronze brown markings (not Cinnamon). Other noticable differences between a Fallow and a Cinnamon is that the diluted body colour is lighter and the Fallow has dark red eyes. Cheek patches are unaffected.
There are three different types of Fallow:
German Fallow (Bronze Fallow, Brown Fallow)
German Fallow has a dark brown suffusion and overall bronze effect. White iris ring.
Inherantly recessive but dominant to NSL Ino.
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Opaline
German Fallow Light Green cock |
Opaline
German Fallow Recessive Pied Light Green cock |
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Normal
German Fallow Sky Blue Violet hen |
Normal
German Fallow Sky Blue Violet cock |
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Normal
German Fallow Sky Blue Violet cock |
Normal
German Fallow Sky Blue Violet cock |
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Normal
German Fallow Sky Blue Violet cock |
English Fallow (Dun Fallow, Grey-Brown Fallow)
English Fallow has a grey-brown suffusion, making them seem paler. Deep pink iris ring.
Inherantly recessive.
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Opaline
English Fallow Sky Blue cock |
Opaline
Yellowface Type 2 English Fallow Sky Blue cock |
Scottish Fallow (plum-eyed fallow)
Scottish Fallows have never been seen in high numbers and are now believed to be extinct. Herald from the Moffat Strain of the Engliss Fallow, being identical to the latter except for their solid plum red eyes.
Inherantly recessive.
Australian Fallow (Beige Fallow, Pale-brown Fallow)
Australian Fallow has a pale brown suffusion and overall beige effect.
Inherantly recessive.
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Opaline
Australian Fallow Light Green cock |
A high percentage of Fadeds are genetically Greywing Fadeds, as the mutation derives from the Greywing.
Chicks hatch with red eyes, which darken within 8-48 hours, and then becoming red again at age 21 days. The white iris ring can take 1-2 years to develop.
The entire plumage is diluted by approximately 25%, being more diluted in Grey Greens (especially Opaline Grey Greens). Markings vary in intensity from dark grey to near black and tend to be more defined in Fadedcocks than in Normals. The bill and cock's cere is also diluted slightly. Cheek patches are undiluted. Legs and feet are pink.
Inherantly recessive.
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Normal
Dark Green & Faded Light Green |
Normal
Sky Blue & Faded Sky Blue |
Darkwing (aka Darkwing Dilute, Australian Clearbody)
Not much is known about the Darkwing gene, but it is a combination of on of the following:
Greywing
Dilute;
Cinnamon Dilute;
Clearwing Dilute.
The latter seem genetically impossible as Greywing, Cinnamon and Clearwing are all dominant to Dilute but the darkwing gene seems to ignore that fact and allow the combinations.
In general, Darkwing Dilute Yellows have a pale yellow-green body plumage with Normal coloured yellow and black markings and Darkwing Dilute Whites have a pale white-blue body plumage with Normal coloured white and black markings.
Inherantly
incomplete dominant.
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Darkwing
Dilute White |
There are three seperate forms of the Crest Factor, which is a structural feather mutation, gradated into intensity (similar to the Dark Factor, yet without the double factor as this is lethal):
In the Tufted Crested, the crest extends upward from the top of the cere, much like a Cockatiel's crest.
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Tufted
Crested Clearwing Yellowface Type 1 Sky Blue hen |
In the Half Circular Crested, the crest feathers are arranged in a half-moon effect and either extend upward or outward from above the cere.
In the Full Circular Crested, the crest extends outward radially from the centre of the crown.
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Full-Crested
Opaline DF
Goldenface SF Spangle Sky Blue hen |
Full
Circular Crested Normal Dark Grey cock |
Inherantly lethal semi-dominant. A Crested must always be bred to a Non-Crested to avoid the Double Crest Factor which is lethal.
There is also a Frilled variety which is quite rare.
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Frilled
Opaline Cobalt chicks |
The Feather duster gene controls the gene which controls feather growth, which in the case of the Feather Duster, is not turned off, resulting in the excessive growth of long curly feathers.
The bird also has a high pitched squeeky voice, and in some cases, little or no voice at all.
It has been found that the Feather Duster also has extra strains of the Budgerigar Herpesvirus to a normal Budgerigar, but it is not known as to whether the virus is indicative to the mutation.
Ultimately as well as being a physical mobility and feeding disability due to the excess feathering, the continual moult and growth causes tissue atrophy due to the usage of all the birds nutritional uptake for growing feathers. Sadly there is no cure and birds died on average by the time they are four to eight months old.
Inherantly recessive.
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Opaline
Cobalt Spangle |
Normal Dark Green |
Normal
Light Green |
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Normal Grey Green Feather Dusters |
The recessive polygenic Polydactyl gene causes the appearence of extra toes.
The Stargazer gene causes the bird to be excessively responsive to environmental stimuli. Thus this results in abnormal behaviour patterns including an arched neck, head tics, profound hyerpactivity and the absence of the startle response.
Inherantly recessive with only homozygous birds (i.e. two genes) presenting the condition.
French Moult is a feather condition caused by the Budgerigar Feather Disease Virus (BFDV), which is related to the polyomavirus group.
There are two forms of the disease:
Budgerigar Feather Disease (BFD) which is the most severe, caused by the BFDV and occuring in chicks (congenetal), which never produce normal feathers and die within a few weeks of hatching.
French Moult is the result of a protracted (less virulent) form of BFDV and is thus milder. Birds may eventually grow a near to normal plumage and be able to fly.
As this is a disease, birds affected shoudl ideally be culled to prevent any spread of the virus, disinfection of equipement with Virkon S should occur and if culling is not an option, none of the flock should ever be sold or exhibited, even those adults who do not display syptoms, as they are potential carriers.
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Lutino
chick suffering from BFD |
