After reading a very...well "spirited" discussion about Pink Budgies I thought I'd ask the question of why its not possible to have a red or pink budgie. Couldn't get a clear technical-type answer in all the back and forth.....

 

 

SO, using my superior knowledge of finger painting with primary colours, and solid logic, can someone far wiser than myself explain why its not possible to have a red bird ?

 

 

1. All mutations we presently have started from a light green wild budgie.

2. One of the first mutations was a yellow ? Given Green is made from yellow and blue, one could assume that the blue colour somehow turned off, producing Yellow. Likewise yellow turning off to produce blue.

3. We have Purple (violet) coloured birds at present, and have had for some time. Given that Purple is made from Red and Blue, could one assume that the blue may again turn off, leaving a red budgie ? Obviously this would need to be a new mutation, rather than selective breeding of existing types.

 

 

This is clearly over simplifying the process, and you could use this same logic to argue for a white faced green or an entirely black budgie with red eyes (visually a little scary).

 

 

I do recall being told something about violet being a modifier rather than a true colour, hence it was not possible. But given the varied combinations we presently have, I would have thought almost anything was (eventually) possible.

 

 

Thoughts ?

As far as my understanding goes, violet is a shade of blue, and not made up of red and blue.

yes in the colour wheel red and blue = purple

 

but like you stated it is a modifier in budgie - which is just changing the way the light reflects of the feathers changing how our eyes see it. having the violet factor in a bird doesn't mean a red gene has been added.

(ps not a scientist so i might have worded it 'technical incorrect' but i understand it and hope others do as well)

 

There is still a chance for something new to appear in budgies but i'm waiting to see a black one before any pink tone one to appear.

RIP described it really well somewhere (sorry can't remember where) it's to do the with physical structure of the budgie feather and the components that make up the colour - psitticine and mellanin and the fact that these can in no way combine to make reds and pinks in the budgie....... All I know sorry...... RIP WHERE ARE YOU????!!!!!

There is no red pigment in budgies. That simple. Not at all sure how to explain grey factor off the top of my head, but violet is not a colour mix, it is a mutation that alters the feather structure and changes the spectrum of light absorbed/reflected. Essentially it acts like a dark factor in all colours bar cobalts where the alteration in colour brings the cobalt along the colour spectrum nearer to a violet shade. There is no purple added at all, just a shift in the light that is aborbed and/or reflected.

 

No red/pink budgies.

There are red budgies...........I see them on the internet all the time

 

and some on here swear that pink budgies exist, so why not red ones

 

 

PS just ÿolking"

Edited February 5, 201114 yr by **KAZ**

As far as my knowledge, there is only green pigment in budgies. Therefore we can only get colours by taking the base out of the pigment - either yellow or blue. Taking out yellow makes a blue bird.

There is no violet pigment in a budgie, violet only enhances or modifies the cobalt blue on the birds to make it look more vibrant.

So, with only green pigment in a budgie, then we are unable to get a red budgie.

Someone mentioned a blackfaced budgie or black budgie, I found this webpage a couple of days ago regarding blackfaces, not sure if it has already been posted, but have a look I found it interesting

http://www.budgerigar.co.uk/mutations-blackfaces-mistys/

 

Hope I have helped someone

 

Harry

Someone mentioned a blackfaced budgie or black budgie, I found this webpage a couple of days ago regarding blackfaces, not sure if it has already been posted, but have a look I found it interesting

http://www.budgeriga...ckfaces-mistys/

 

Yeah i know of the blackface budgie which is why i think a black budgie is possible.

http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index.php?showtopic=20528

There are red budgies...........I see them on the internet all the time

 

and some on here swear that pink budgies exist, so why not red ones

 

 

 

 

 

Sold Kaz , How much ? And Ill buy the parents also!!

Thanks KAZ. Looks like your Albino should have used a higher SPF sunscreen !

 

 

I appreciate the other feedback also. Thanks.

 

Clearly finger painting skills are not transferable to budgie genetics. Who'd have thought !

 

Cheers

Blackface mutation died out. The breeder had a chance to pass some birds on to a well known breeder (and yet i've forgotten who it was lol) and he refused. They caught an illness and the family died out shortly thereafter due to the conditions they were living in.

 

I personally would have loved to see a double factor anthracite blackface grey (possibly with opaline). Now that would have been a black budgie and then some.

There are red budgies...........I see them on the internet all the time

 

and some on here swear that pink budgies exist, so why not red ones

 

 

PS just ÿolking"

 

That is one DEMONIC budgie! LOL

 

I am very sad that the blackfaces died out, seeing the pictures of them I was like 'One of them would look lovely in our aviary."

Someone mentioned a blackfaced budgie or black budgie, I found this webpage a couple of days ago regarding blackfaces, not sure if it has already been posted, but have a look I found it interesting

http://www.budgeriga...ckfaces-mistys/

 

 

Did anyone notice the information about the "Misty" mutation in this link? I wonder if that would be a mutation we would be more likely to encounter someday. I once had a budgie whose black bars just weren't as black my other budgies. I kept staring and staring at her, and there was definitely a difference. But she wasn't cinnamon or greywing. Certainly not brownwing. She had 7 chicks, and some were greywing, so she was split to that. But I only kept one of the black wing chicks, and that one has normal sharp, black bars. I guess I'll never know if any of the other black winged chicks grew up to be like their mother. She probably could have been just "poorly marked" as opposed to a new mutation. And it wasn't really all that attractive on her. Nice sharp black is prettier.

yes i read about it, first i had heard of it myself. but it didn't make it very clear on why it was different to grey wings or cinnamons in look.