The Many Patterns of Color in a Budgie

[spiritbird]

There are many color patterns in Budgies. Chipper is a gray mutation. Look down the list for the mottled pattern and let me know what you think. [Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

[Blancaej]

Wow, that is a lot of variations! I had no idea! LOL! I can't make heads or tails. I didn't even see the grey mutation. I will have to look again! LOL!

[Debra]

Wow! I wish I had that when I bred budgies for show.

[spiritbird]

Yes, I think this information is top notch. May make a good sticky.

[coltfire]

:thanks4sharingthumb thats a great site

[Feathers First Aviary]

I refer to this website quite often, it really is a great resource! I'm a bit ashamed to admit this but I was literally up at 3am two nights ago drawing up punnet squares! Budgie genetics are so confusing compared to most other parrot species. Even with all the green cheek mutations, it wouldn't be difficult to learn everything you need to know about them in a matter of a couple days(at least the more common mutations anyway), I have been studying budgie genetics for two years now and I still have only brushed the cusp of it all. It really doesn't help that there are so many people colony breeding them with no records and with the "throw two birds together and see what ya get" approach. I've been trying to find budgies(american and english) with specific phenotypes and the only accurate way I've found to do that is by holding back my own babies and proving out their splits, but this can only get you so far. It would save me so much time and effort if there were more breeders that actually kept track of lineage. And I'm in no way a budgie snob, I think they are all absolutely beautiful, even the wild green types are gorgeous to me, their iridescent green is just phenomenal, it's just that it makes selective breeding a lot harder when know one seems to know what color the bird is beyond yellow, blue, green or white.

[coltfire]

I refer to this website quite often, it really is a great resource! I'm a bit ashamed to admit this but I was literally up at 3am two nights ago drawing up punnet squares! Budgie genetics are so confusing compared to most other parrot species. Even with all the green cheek mutations, it wouldn't be difficult to learn everything you need to know about them in a matter of a couple days(at least the more common mutations anyway), I have been studying budgie genetics for two years now and I still have only brushed the cusp of it all. It really doesn't help that there are so many people colony breeding them with no records and with the "throw two birds together and see what ya get" approach. I've been trying to find budgies(american and english) with specific phenotypes and the only accurate way I've found to do that is by holding back my own babies and proving out their splits, but this can only get you so far. It would save me so much time and effort if there were more breeders that actually kept track of lineage. And I'm in no way a budgie snob, I think they are all absolutely beautiful, even the wild green types are gorgeous to me, their iridescent green is just phenomenal, it's just that it makes selective breeding a lot harder when know one seems to know what color the bird is beyond yellow, blue, green or white.
i know what you mean, even with all my budgies the lines are all over the place, and i do keep records to a point, my English budgies are all throwing out greys, and occasionally a grey green, as the two i put up for naming.

[spiritbird]

Most of what you are saying is Greek to me but I love learning. I read from this site a lot now to learn more. Anyone with budgies should have it in their favorites.