Does anyone know where I can get a poster or book or something on the different colours and strains of colours for budgerigars. I am interested in knowing what colour is what?

I think they're hard to find....before i joined here i was searching and searching for one! Haven't found anything much.

This is the best article i have forund on the subject but unfortunatley no pics

 

Budgies: A Rainbow of Colors!

by Cris Robson

 

The Budgie comes in a wide variety of colors. Its no wonder this beautiful parrot has become so popular in the homes of families throughout the world. Below are some of the most common color variations of the budgerigar with historical dates.

 

The Blue Budgie: This color variation is one of the most common seen among pet Budgies. There are three types of Blue Budgie - Skyblue, Mauve, and Cobalt. All possess white masks and purple cheek patches and feature three black throat spots in each side. All three variations have white and black stripes that wave their way over the wings and back. The differences lie in body and tail colors. The body color of the Skyblue is bright skyblue. The tail feathers of the Skyblue are bluish black. The Cobalt's body comes in a deep cobalt blue and is much darker than the Skyblue. The tail of the Cobalt is also darker than that of the skyblue. The Mauve variation has a mauve colored body and an even darker tail than that of the Skyblue or Cobalt. The Skyblue variation is one of the oldest budgies, first recorded in 1878. The Cobalt and Mauve varieties were recorded in 1916.

 

The Laurel Budgie: The Laurel blue is a dark blue variety. This variation was first recorded in France in 1915.

 

The Green Budgie: The domestic green budgie resembles its wild Australian counterparts more than any other domestic budge. They fall into three distinct color classifications, Olive Green, Light Green and Dark Green. All three varieties possess purple cheek patches and yellow masks. Like the Blue Budgie they all possess throat spots consisting of three black spots on both sides of the throat. All three varieties have light yellow wings and green bodies. The differences lie in the coloring of the body plumage. The Olive's feathers are olive green and can sometimes be splotchy marked with a little blue. The Dark Green's plumage is a rich dark green, like the Olive their feathers may be splotchy and can possess some blue. The Light Green Budgie's Body Plumage is grassy green and lacks splotchiness. The Olive variety was first recorded in 1916.

 

The Albino Budgie: The albino parakeet is entirely white with red eyes. His all white plumage and red eyes is caused by a lack of melanin. Melanin is what gives birds, humans and other animals their pigmentation. The gene that causes the albino traits is a sex-linked gene. The lack of pigmentation in the eyes does cause light sensitivity. The Albino comes from the Blue Budgie. First discovered in the 1930's.

 

The Lutino Budgie: The Lutino budgie is actually a Green Budgie Albino. This mutation can occur in two ways, one is a sex linked genetic mutation while the other falls on another gene. The only way to determine which genetic mutation has occurred is through breeding. Like the Albino, the Lutino variation was first noted in the 1930's. The Lutino and Albino variations are collectively called "Inos".

 

The Yellow Budgie: The Yellow Budgie comes in three color variations. All variations have buttercup yellow face masks, though the Olive Yellow has more of a mustard color to it. They have no throat spots at all and have bluish purple cheek patches; the light yellow has very pale purple patches, which are barely perceptible. None of the varieties have the wing markings common to many other budgies. The Olive Yellow has bluish black tail feathers, which are a bit darker than those of the Cobalt and Skyblue Budgies. The tail feathers of the Light and Dark Yellows are only slightly lighter than their body colors. The body of the Light Yellow is buttercup yellow, the Dark Yellow's coloration is only slightly darker, and the Olive Yellows coloring is more of a mustard yellow. This is the first recorded color variation outside of the naturally occurring green varieties. The first instances were recorded in Germany and Belgium in 1870.

 

The Grey Budgie: The Grey Budgie comes in two varieties - English Grey (Recessive Grey) and Australian Grey (Dominant Grey). Like the Blue Budgie, the Grey has a white face mask, black and white striped wings and back, and three black throat spots on either side. Both varieties also have black tail feathers and slate to blue-gray cheek patches. The English Grey has a gray body that is seen in light, medium, and dark gray. The Australian Grey also has a gray body that is seen in gray, white gray, fallow gray, full gray, and cinnamon gray.

 

The Violet Budgie: The Violet Budgie has a white face mask, dark bluish black tail feathers, purple cheek patches, and three black throat spots on each side. His body is covered by deep violet plumage. He possesses the black and white striped back and wings of the other colored budgies mentioned above. The gene that causes the violet coloring is a dominant gene. This gene does not cause the color itself, but rather intensifies the color. For a long time this Budgie was considered rare. This variety occurred in the 1930's, originating in Australia, Scotland, and Denmark.

 

The White Budgie: The white budgie is produced by breeding Blue Budgies with Yellow Budgies. It was first record in 1920 in France and England.

 

The Yellowface Budgie: This variation is also called the Yellowface Blue. This budgie comes in two variations, type 1 and type 2. They both possess a yellow rim on their tail feathers with yellow faces and heads. The type 1 never has yellow spread to his body, whereas the type 2 will spread after its first molt. The entire body of the type 2 has a noticeable yellow tint.

 

The Dominant Pied Budgie: This variation is also called the Australian Pied and was first noted in 1932.

 

The Dutch Dominant Pied: This variation appeared in Belgium in 1934.

 

The Recessive Pied Budgie: This variation is also called the Harlequin Budgie or the Danish Pied Budgie. The Recessive Pied Light Green has a buttercup yellow mask. His body has patches of light green and yellow. He has a varying amount of black throat spots, and silvery or white cheek patches. They have black eyes and bars on their heads. These were first recorded in 1932.

 

The Crested Budgie: There are at least three varieties of Crested Budgie. It should be noted that the gene that causes cresting is dominant. Two Crested Budgies should never be mated, as the 'double crest factor' resulting from such a mating is lethal. The three types of Crested Budgies include the Tufted Crest, the Half Circular Crest, and the Full Circular Crest. The Tufted Crest Budgie's crest largely resembles that of a cockatiel. It extends upward from the top of the cere. The Half Circular Crest can extend upward or outward above the cere. The crest feathers are in a half circle. The Full Circular Crest Budgie has a crest that extends outwardly from the middle of its head. The outward extension is radial.

 

The Cinnamon Budgie: Cinnamon Budgies can have any body color. What makes them unique is their cinnamon brown markings on the wings where most other budgies are black. Often times the body color of the Cinnamon appears washed out. There are 11 Cinnamon Variations - Cinnamon, Cinnamon Olive Green, Cinnamon Light Green, Cinnamon Dark Green, Cinnamon Grey Green, Cinnamon Grey, Cinnamon Skyblue, Cinnamon Mauve, Cinnamon Cobalt, Cinnamon Violet, and Cinnamon Light Yellow. All Cinnamon Budgies have purple cheek patches with the exception of the Cinnamon Grey, whose cheek patches are slate to gray colored. They will all have three cinnamon brown throat spots as well. All Cinnamon Budgie colors are muted 50% from those of non-Cinnamon Budgies. The standard Cinnamon budgie can come in an array of muted colors, his mask, body, and tail feather colors depends on the 'base' color. The Cinnamon Olive Green has a yellow face mask with a muted olive green body. His tail feathers are dark blue with a touch of brown. The Cinnamon Light Green and Dark Green varieties both have yellow face masks with tail feathers identical to the Olive except a little lighter. They both have muted grass green bodies. The Cinnamon Grey Green has a white face mask, muted green-green body, and cinnamon brown tail. The Cinnamon Grey is the same as the Cinnamon Grey green except his body lacks the green and is seen only in muted green. The Cinnamon Skyblue has a white facemask, bluish-cinnamon-brown tail and muted skyblue body. The Cinnamon Mauve also has a white face mask, but his tail feathers and body exist in a mute purple-color. A touch of brown can also be seen in the tail feathers. The Cinnamon Cobalt is much the same as the Skyblue and Mauve, except his body and tail feathers are colored by a muted cobalt blue. The Cinnamon Violet has a white face mask, with a striking muted violet body color. His tail is a pale cinnamon brown. The last variation is the Cinnamon Light Yellow. His face mask is buttercup yellow, and his body is a muted buttercup yellow. His wings and back are cinnamon brown. The tail feathers are the same as the body, but lighter, with a touch of cinnamon brown. This mutation was first noted in Australia, Germany and England in the early to mud 1930's.

 

The Fallow Budgie: This Budgie is very similar to the cinnamon described above. The differences are very subtle; the main one being that the Fallow budgie is a tad bit darker than that of the cinnamon. This really is not enough to distinguish the two variations. What more clearly distinguishes the Fallow from the Cinnamon are the Fallows dark red eyes. Fallows can be classified as German (sex linked trait) and English (recessive trait). There are four variations of the Fallow - Fallow, Fallow Olive Green, Fallow Light Green, and the Fallow Dark Green. This variety was first observed in Australia, England and other parts of Europe in the 1930's.

 

The Spangle Budgie: The Spangle differs from other Budgies in that it has its wing markings reversed. Spangle coloration is caused by a dominant gene. This variation is relatively new, being first seen in 1974.

 

The Opaline Budgie: The Opaline Budgie comes in six variations. All have, V-shaped designs on their backs, buttercup yellow face masks with the exception of the Skyblue whose facemask is white. Like its name would imply, the Opaline Skyblue has skyblue plumage. The Opaline Greens all have purple cheek spots (with the exception of the Grey who has gray cheek spots) and throat spots. The Opaline Cinnamon Light Green's spots are cinnamon brown, while the others have three black spots. The Opaline Cinnamon Light green has a very pale grassy green color. The Opaline Light Green is also grassy green, but his coloring is brighter than the Cinnamon. The Opaline Dark Green has a deep dark green plumage and the Opaline Olive Green exhibits an even olive green plumage. The Oplaine Grey Green has full green feathers. The Opaline mutation is caused by a sex-linked gene. This variety was established in the 1930's, in both Scotland and Australia.

 

The Royal Opaline Budgie: These budgies are beautifully colored. I have not been able to find much difference between these and Lacewing Budgies.

 

The Saddleback Budgie: This variety was first noted in Sydney Australia in the aviaries of L. & B. Ryan.

 

The Lacewing Budgie: This is one of the most beautiful Budgies. They exhibit strikingly brilliant colors in either white or yellow. They have red eyes, pale brown tails, and rosy cheek markings. Light brown markings can be seen on the wings. These birds are basically Opalines with extremely good coloring. They are rare because most breeding programs follow the need for Opalines. This variation first occurred in Queensland Australia.

 

The Red Eyed Lacewing Budgie: This budgie is either all white or all yellow with light brown wing patterns. They possess pale purple cheek patches with cinnamon brown tails. They have dark red eyes with a light iris ring. The yellow variety is called the Yellow Red Eyed Lacewing and the white is the White Red Eyed Lacewing.

 

The Greywing Budgie: This variety originated in Germany and Belgium in 1975.

 

The Clearwing Budgie: The Clearwing Budgie can come in any color. What makes this variety unique is its white wings. His wings will lack any markings. Their body color and cheek markings should be dark, while their solid wings should be light colored, often seen in white or yellow. Most of the Clearwings will have at least a little gray in their wings. This variation was first discovered in Sydney Australia, in the 1930s, by Mr. H. Pier.

 

The Clearflight Budgie: The Clearflight Budgie comes in a Skyblue variation that is quite beautiful. He has a white mask with a striking skyblue body with wings striped in black and white. His tail feathers are blueish black. He has purple cheek patches with three black spots on each side of his throat.

 

The Continental Clearlight: This variation was first noted in Belgium in 1946.

 

The Rainbow Budgie: The Rainbow Budgie is an unofficial term used to describe colorful budgies. This variation is not recognized by most show variations. Types of Budgies often referred to as Rainbow Budgies include Clearwings, Opalines, Yellowfaces, Blues, and Greywings.

 

The Seafoam Budgie: The Seafoam Budgie is similar to the Rainbow Budgie. Like the Rainbow it is an unofficial term used to describe a color. They lack the wing markings of the Rainbow Budgie.

I have to go out this morning but I'm looking forward to reading that Andy when I get back.

Julie

Wow, that looks pretty comprehensive. I've printed it out for reference tomorrow when I go out to the outside aviaries! I've been considering learning about this for a while, and now thanks to you, Andy, and Daz I can start! Thanks.

Thanks Adam, I've been adding information to my collection. This will certainly help.

Try the York site for the Budgerigar Bible. You can find the site from the Links section in the Budgerigars Breeders Club.