Aussie Finch Forum

Hi all,

Can somebody confirm if we have Fawn Choc Parsons here in Australia please..

Pretty sure a good friend has just had one fly the nest I will try and get some pictures soon.

Rich.

It could happen Rich,but imo it would be defeating the purpose as most CP's are bred to get the darkest birds they can.Or the cock is split for cream and the young fawn is a hen. Craig

Thanks Craig.

This wasn't a deliberate intention just a random mishap.

So have you heard of fawns appearing in Australia?


Rich.

There are normal parson fawns but as i said it is going backwards in chocolates. Craig

The only difference with a fawn parson is brown where the black is and a slightly lighter body,if the bird is creamy brown in the body and chocolate bib and trouser strips it's a cream which is the next step to a white. Cheers Craig

I doubt if there are many TRUE Chocolate Parsons left in our aviaries and maybe showing my ignorance even less chance in the west.
True Chocolate Parsons are different not just a darker form. I think you would see they are a different brown and seem to
have a real sheen to their feathers.
It is some years now since I saw them and nothing I have seen recently is any where near them.
From memory they we the shade of brown like the actual Chestnut.

Have to agree. I've seen a few referred to as chocolate parsons in recent years but haven't seen the real deal for at least 20 years. The proper ones are/were a big solid finch with a large black bib, dark brown with a slight hint of rufous on the front and a conspicuous clean white rump.

I remember talking to a finch breeder about chocolate parsons at a bird sale about 10 years ago. We were saying then that you don't see the real deal any more. I said that I would love to get a few pairs of them again & he said "yeah me too. I'd love to put the cream mutation through them." I shook my head & walked away.

Just out of interest, is the Chocolate Parson a true subspecies ?

Cheers
Brett

It hasn't been given a sub-species name by taxonomists (that I know of) and was always regarded as the "southern form" of the nominate subspecies N.c.cincta.
The "chocolate" form of the Diggles/black-rumped Parson was/is regarded as a separate subspecies though, N.c.nigrotecta. Taxonomy is such a fickle field of science

P not N sorry.