Budgerigar Matings and Colour Expectations

F. S. Elliott

Description

Learn to mate your budgies together to get the very best colour combinations. This handy guide includes chapters on the colouration and correct names of the different budgerigars. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Sujets

• Birds
• Pets

Informations

• Publié par: Read Books Ltd.
• Date de parution: 21 décembre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781447481263
• Langue: English

Extrait

BUDGERIGAR MATINGS
and
COLOUR EXPECTATIONS

Containing Dr. H. Duncker s Original Tables

(FIFTH EDITION)


Edited by
F. S. ELLIOTT and E. W. BROOKS
CONTENTS
Explanatory Notes
Colouration of the different varieties of Budgerigars
Correct names of the different varieties of Budgerigars
Definition of the word split
Names sometimes used and their proper equivalents
Type I and Type II birds and Exceptions
Alphabetical List of the abbreviations used in the Matings Lists
List of varieties with their abbreviations and code letters
Important note with regard to Lists III and IV
Index of Matings
List I of Matings
List II of Matings
List III of Matings
List IV of Matings
The established new Varieties and other information
(see special index on Page 142 ).
EXPLANATORY NOTES

As the fourth edition of the BOOK OF BUDGERIGAR MATINGS published by the Budgerigar Society has now been exhausted, a fifth edition is necessary, and this book contains not only the expectations from all possible matings, 1,830 in all, between the 60 older genetical varieties of budgerigars, which Dr. Duncker has kindly placed at our disposal, but also notes on the expectations from the established new varieties such as Cinnamon, etc.
The matings which will be found in lists I and II are by far the most important as the colour factors of all the young produced in these matings can be ascertained from the visible colours of the birds. On the other hand, lists III and IV contain matings producing young, the colour factors of some or all of which cannot be determined from their visible colours. It is of course generally desirable to arrange one s birds for the matings which are given in the first two lists, but there are occasions when matings from the third and fourth lists may be necessary, and some of these matings produce some young, in regard to whose colour factors there is no doubt.
This book is not intended to be a scientific treatise on the colour variations in Budgerigars, but it is an attempt made to place at the disposal of all, and particularly of those who are not conversant with the past developments of this interesting subject, the information which has been so freely given us by Dr. Duncker and the late Consult General Cremer. The researches of these gentlemen have been dealt with in previous publications issued by the Budgerigar Society.
Dr. Duncker s theoretical expectations have now been tested by thousands of breeders in this country and abroad, and breeders can have every confidence that if their birds possess the factors or genes (colour-reproducing qualities) given in the tables, they will, over a number of nests, get approximately the numbers of youngsters shown. It is not claimed that these results will be obtained in one nest-in fact, in some cases, owing to the number of different kinds of youngsters which can be produced from one mating, it would be quite impossible to do so-but if a season s results, or better still, the results from a number of pairs are taken, it will be found that the figures are very close.
In determining the colour-breeding capacity of a Budgerigar, the visible and invisible colour qualities or factors are the only things which count, and, as far as is known at present, the pedigree of a bird is only of academic interest and may even be misleading. Thus, the bird, which is described in the tables as green/white, whether it is produced from the mating: light green/blue-greywing x white blue, from the mating: light green x white blue, or any other mating, is exactly the same bird. It will not produce, for instance, greywings because one of its parents had the greywing factor.
In the case of birds with colour factors not indicated by the visible colours the buyer is entitled to receive a definite guarantee as to the existence of these factors and the seller should therefore arrange his breeding pairs in such a way that this guarantee can be given. With this object in view, breeders should study the lists of matings given further on in this book to see whether the colour factors of the young birds can be distinguished by the birds visible colours. But they should never forget that there is a limit to the number of birds with different colour factors which can be kept together in one aviary for no matter what pains have been taken to pair the birds in the combinations in which the owner desires them to breed, it is possible that any cock in the aviary may be the father of any youngster. Several combinations are, however, possible, and some simple instances are given below:-
All the blue series-skyblue, cobalt, and mauve-can be kept together in one aviary.
Pairs of yellows may be added to the above, for the breeder will know for certain that every green bird produced will be green/white.
All the white series-with blue, cobalt, and mauve suffusion-can be kept in one aviary.
Greywing blue/whites, greywing cobalt/whites, and greywing mauve/whites can all be kept in one aviary and all the white series can be kept with them in the same aviary.
There are many other safe combinations outside the above and these can be found by studying the mating tables.
If a fancier wishes to go in for a new colour variety without going to the expense of a pair of birds of that colour, his best plan is generally to get a pure hen of the colour in question and to mate it to a split cock, i.e., one possessing the desired colour factor, which, however, is not shown in its visible colours. For instance, if it is a question of producing whites, the pair would be a white blue hen and say a yellow/white (called yellow split white ) cock. The advantage of this plan is that if the two birds should not pair up as the fancier desires, he will at least have the satisfaction of knowing that all the youngsters produced from eggs laid by the white hen are split white and can be guaranteed as such. (The hens must be of the pure variety, i.e. those whose descriptions are shown entirely in heavy type on pages 12 and 13 .)
Collections of birds in one aviary which include pairs with the same hidden colour-reproducing qualities, or split factors as they are called, are not to be recommended. For instance, if there are greywing green/white cocks and hens in one aviary and all the possible steps are taken to pair these birds with white blue mates, there is still a great risk that some of the greywing green youngsters produced might come from the mating of two greywing green/whites. The breeder would then be unable to tell whether these youngsters possessed the blue, yellow, or white factor or were pure (see mating No. 1733).
From time to time birds are produced which appear to be departures from the expectations given in the tables, although if all the facts were known, such birds would be found, in almost every case, to conform to Dr. Duncker s theories. For instance, many fanciers have bred white birds where, according to the colour factors of the parents, they should not be expected. The most probable explanation of this is that the ancestors of each of the parent birds possess the white factor, due to the fact that there were white, split white, yellow or split yellow cocks in the aviaries in which they were bred and this white factor has been passed on from generation to generation until two birds each possessing it have mated together, with the resultant white youngsters. Another explanation (which would apply in few cases) is that in one or both of the birds there has been a mutation, that is, a change, which can be inherited, brought about by Nature in the same way as the other colours were originally produced from the green birds. This question of unexpected results is dealt with more fully on pages 169 to 171 .
As most of the greywing blue, greywing cobalt, and greywing mauve birds obtainable at the present time are split white, it is not desirable to pair these with birds with normal undulation markings, such as ordinary skyblues, skyblue/whites, etc., because it is impossible to tell, except by breeding, whether the youngsters with normal undulation markings from such matings are split greywing or split white (see matings No. 1824, 1828, etc.)
COLOURATION OF THE DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF BUDGERIGARS.
The Colour and Technical Committee of the Budgerigar Society has drawn up the following detailed Colour Standards of adult exhibition birds for the guidance of members. Although the particulars given below apply to exhibition birds, the remarks about the colour, etc., hold good within narrow limits for all adult birds of the variety in question, and in the absence of coloured illustrations it is thought that the information below will be useful in identifying birds by their colours. (As previously mentioned, the hidden colour quality or qualities of a bird can only be ascertained from its parentage.)
Light Green. -Mask: Buttercup of an even tone ornamented on each side of throat with three clearly defined black spots, one of which appears at the base of the cheek patch. Cheek Patches: Violet. General Body Colour: Back, rump, breast, flanks, and underparts, bright grass-green of a solid and even shade throughout; markings on cheeks, back of head, neck, and wings, black and well defined on a buttercup ground. Tail: long feathers blue-black.
Dark Green. -As above but of a dark laurel green body colour. Tail: long feathers darker in proportion.
Olive Green. -As above but of a deep olive green body colour. Tail: long feathers darker in proportion.
Light Yellow (including Cinnamon Light Yellow). -Mask: Buttercup; back, rump, breast, flanks, wings, and underparts, buttercup and as free from green suffusion as possible; primaries lighter than body. Tail: long feathers lighter than body colour.
Dark Yellow (including Cinnamon Dark Yellow). -As above but of a deeper body colour.
Olive Yellow (including Cinnamon Olive Yellow). -As above but of a mustard body colour.
Skyblue. -Mask: Cl