Yellow Madagascan Weavers (no photos)

[wagga]

Iwas speaking to a parrot breeder friend in Wagga yesterday again about his large free flight finch aviary and how the birds are handling the frosts this time of year. Not bad was the reply infact the Maddies are still in full colour and there is young ones on the perch. Also he add that within the very large colony, numbering in excess of 50 birds, of Maddies a couple of yellows have turned up.

I was in shock that a majority of cockbird weavers are remaining full coloured throughtout the year and are currently breeding in this forst bitten climate plus to top it all off, there is a yellow mutation appearing in the flock. Their diet is finch mix and some mealworms fed daily whilst the finch eat spinich off the plants growing in the aviary. This is a no frills set up mainly due to time constraints with the parrots, show chooks, racing horses and his family.


To me this aviary is not an ideal type of finch aviary, same aviary with the pied sparrows, with very little if any protection from the elements. Starting from a handfull of Madagascan's to proliferate to such high numbers these birds are proving me wrong.

Not sure about the exact age or sex of the Yellow Madagascans. I think they are hens, progeny from unidentified splits yellows.

[Danny]

For what its worth, get the yellows out of the general population. My feeling is the yellows, both maddie and grenadiers, have a lethal gene in there somewhere. Once you start yellow to yellow or yellow to split pairings fertility plummets suggesting that the embryos are dying in shell as these same birds are fertile when paired to normals. Ignore the fairy stories about them being a different species and building different nests - they are just a mutation but they are not worth the aviary space. I was a happy day when I finally rid my yard of them (only good thing a snake has ever done for me).

[Jayburd]

taken at work.we have quite a few, both yellow madagascars and yellow grenadiers.

IMG_3046.JPG

My feeling is the yellows, both maddie and grenadiers, have a lethal gene in there somewhere.

interesting. we seem to breed a few of each every year, no problems so far...

[Danny]

You'll still breed them from split x split matings but the numbers are way down when bred yellow to yellow compared to red to red and its not a weak mutation effect when they are in mixed flocks like these. You still get the nests, you get oodles of eggs but few babies fledge whilst splits or reds next door are overpopulating the place.
Ask the Tassie boys if they are keen on some yellow grenadiers - they'll pay you to keep them on the mainland.

[wagga]

Danny- I will pass on your comments to my friend concerning fertility with this mutation. Mutations appearing from unknown splits, as in his case, is a major concern when the limited Australian gene pool can be adversely effected. Apart from killing these type of lethal gene carrying birds off as they appear what else can be done?

Jayburd- That is a great photo that you have taken. The bright yellow colour is very attractive.

[E Orix]

Over the years I have seen them and the people have said they just turned up but you Danny are the first I have known that
has done any work with them.
Even those that just turned up wouldn't produce for the owners when paired up.
Last season I took over a collection and there was one Yellow Madagascar in it.I actually gave it away as I
classed them as non breeders.
Danny is it only the male that is yellow or both sexes.The yellow bird I had here while not put in a breeding situation acted like a hen bird.

[Danny]

I never saw an obvious yellow coloured madagascar hen. I saw plenty of subordinate yellow males that acted like hens so they never got the royal bejusus beaten out of them. I only know this as I had eight birds in one aviary - a bright yellow cock, a part coloured cock and 6 "hens" - DNA said 4 subordinate cocks and 2 hens which matched the number of nests. The real hens kinda sorta looked a bit golden if you turned your imaginator up to number 6 on the dial and squinted hard. In a big aviary, more cocks will colour up with less impact of the dominant bird.

[E Orix]

Thanks Danny
I guess with DNA it helps.
How sure are you that they are a mutation Madagascar or not one of the obscure Fody's from that area.
Also how far does the Yellow go down and do all have similar amounts of yellow.

[Danny]

I believe it was Phil Digney that photographed identical yellows to what we have within flocks of madagascars in the wild.

[TomDeGraaff]

20 odd years ago, a fellow named Graeme Phipps reported in "The Land" newspaper that veterinary exams of a number of these yellow Madagascan Fodies revealed them to be sex-changes!!
Given this phenomenon has arisen in 2 different species, I would suggest an environmental or dietary issue at play.
I would not expect Euplectes weavers to cross with Foudia. Others would know better. I don't suspect the "factor" to be crossed into one species to theother.
Tom