Black chestnut finch

[smileyjoanne]

Hello,

I'm new here; I have a question about a chestnut finch.

One of our baby chestnuts popped out with a black belly where they're normally cream/white. We read about the melanin phase that some go through which causes this and expected it to disappear after a couple of months. However, he's probably been around for about a year and a half to two years now, and is still as dark as ever, if not darker.

Any ideas???

(Now hopefully the photos work...)

[Mickp]

thats the first time I have seen that.
had a look around though and it appears that it does occur.
here's a link to a pic of a melanistic chestnut

[gomer]

I have seen them before,They look like the dark form of the chestnut breasted manikin.I would say both parents are split to the dark form of chestnut.I dont really know anything more about them.Cant say if they are from mainland Australia or New Guinea.
Failing that they could also be melinistic,or even a hybrid cross.But they do look like the dark form.

[Jayburd]

Looks to me like a cross between a chestnut and a black headed munia, which has the same dark belly. But, I really know nothing about them (apart from tri nuns) so don't trust me!

[arthur]

Definitely a melanistic form of CBF . . . NOT a hybrid . . Kingston includes a photo of identical birds in his "Complete Manual . . " but strangely does not include it in his list of CBF mutations

Melanistic birds are autosomal recessive so its parents have to be splits

Definitely keep this bird, and its parents and siblings . . or if you are not into mutations sell it/ them to a breeder who is

Shame to see it "disappear" when it can be established easily

Mark Shipways photo was probably taken overseas . . though I cannot be certain of that

[arthur]

P.S. . . . many years ago I managed to trap a wild immature CBF which was such a pale fawn colour that it was almost white . . however when it coloured its plumage was normal so I released it

With current knowledge of inheritance it should have been retained and bred from for some generations in different combinations to see what occurred

Such is life!

[finchbreeder]

First time I've seen that too.
But I like it, definately keep and breed the family or offer them on here to someone who will breed the strain.
We live and learn Arthur
LML

[AMCA26]

In the Russell Kingston bible it shows that bird as the Dark Form.
Well worth keeping and geting going.

[smileyjoanne]

Thanks for all the replies...

Sounds like it could be something special...i guess we'll need to think about whether to try breeding or to pass him on to a breeder.

[finchbreeder]

So what did you decide to do?
LML