Hi all,

 

I have only just discovered this site and would appreciate some help from the more experienced members.

The green and all yellow birds have been with me for almost 18 months now and formed a good bond with each other right from the start. A couple of months after their arrival the blue/grey and white budgies joined them.

The blue/grey was accepted immediately by the first two and the three of them chat and play together, preen and feed each other, and act like normal budgies really.

However the white one has been outcast from the start. okay it is a bit smaller and less assertive than the others but they just ignore the white bird. If it does try to join in then it gets the cold shoulder/wing treatment. I thought that it was being bullied but I don't think this is the case, it is tolerated but no more. Perhaps I have an odd mix of sexes?

Feeling sorry for this budgie, I am tempted to move it to a different cage and get it a companion but do not want to enter the budgie sex lottery and thought that someone here may be able to offer some advice.

As an aside you will see that the green and blue/grey are just recovering from a heavy moult but the other two haven't lost a feather between them. Is this odd?

 

Many thanks in advance. Billy

 

PS They do have names but I may have to review these if I got the sexes incorrect. I don't suppose that the birds shall mind!

 

 

 

 

I'd say first 2 & last def. male. Not sure about your "yellow" (not sure of it's mutation) but I'd say possibly hen. All are very pretty birds.

Don't know why your pied is the odd man out, possibly because of only 1 hen ? to 3 males, they may be trying to be "head man " with the female?

 

Depending on time of year etc they will all moult on a regular basis. Your birds all look like mature birds, others can tell you sex & mutations better than I, adding more birds would be okay but they will still bond with the bird of their choice if caged together. Hope this helps a bit.

_{Many thanks for your help Robyn. Bill, the green one, is a laid back old sage and there are no troubles in the world as far as he is concerned. Bert, the blue/grey, is where the question mark is. This bird is the dominant one of the four. Every perch, seed bowl, drinks dispenser, and roosting position are Bert''s! I thought tnat this was female behaviour and was sold the budgie as a young female but 'she' has developed quite masculine looks hence the question. Poor old Bob, the white one, chirps away all day and no one listens to him which is where the second question about a mate for him came from. My suspicions now are that, as you say, Phil(omena), the yellow bird, is the only female in town.}

_{I believe that all of the bugies are between 15 and 18 months old. They have all had moults before to a greater or lesser extent it just seems strange that Bill and Bert have had such heavy ones recently where Phil and Bob have not moulted at all as yet. They all seem happy and healthy anyway which is the main thing.}

_{Thanks again Robyn.}

Edited October 29, 201212 yr by Finnie
enlarged font to make it readable

I don't think the dilute light green bird is a hen. At least, if it is old enough to have finished its first molt, then it's cere would either be whiter, or have a brownish hint to it.. Even when a hen's brown crusty cere peels off to reveal the white/blue color underneath, there is usually still some trace left. To me this looks like a male, but maybe a different angle and lighting of photo would tell a different story...

 

Do you have a photo of its back? It looks like it is some sort of pied, and possibly even spangle.

Thanks Finnie, This budgie is a good 18 months old now and has had several moults finishing the last one a week ago. I've recently had a bit of a computer disaster and lost all of my bird photos, along with many other important documents. When will we learn to back up electronic storage? Just getting the PC back on track but I'll have to wait until we get some decent natural light here in the UK to get some more pictures. I'll post as soon as I get something worthwhile.

You def have 3 males and like Finne said its hard to say from the picture what the dilute is.

But you have a normal dark green male.

Normal colbalt greywing male.

Light green dilute maybe opaline but I can't see the back so can't be certian.

And lastly a normal sky violet dominant pied male.

 

The guess's on the blue birds could be wrong I am still struggling with the shades of blues.

Hope I could help.

 

Jodie.

Thanks to all of those who have replied.

At last we have had some sun and I've taken a few shots of Phil without flash.

I'd appreciate any further ideas.

Many thanks

 

Looking at those pics Billy, looks like Phil is also male. Maybe Phillip now? l.o.l.

Oh, that opaline greywing dominant pied light green male is gorgeous!

Thanks Finnie, I'll tell him.