Zebra Finch hen - which mutation is this?

[Finchy]

Hi

I know you will want a photo, but it's late and dark out, so please start with a description Do you know which mutation this is please?

I have a Zebra Finch hen who is a very pretty even grey all over - her back, her belly, everywhere. She has not so much as a fleck of any kind of marking on her - just this very consistent soft grey-blue colour. She has no teardops yet generally I breed for strong teardops in my flock, so their absence must be part of the mutation.

I have all kinds of genes in my flock, so it could also be the blended effect of more than one primary mutation.

Thanks for any ideas

[Username]

Photos!!

[finchbreeder]

Charcol x dilute? Really do need a pic or 3, to be more accurate than guessing.
LML

[Finchy]

fb, I think you might be right. Looking at her today I can see slightly darker shading in and under her tail, as happens in Charcoals. Her beak is also just very slightly peachy, rather than orange-red. It's as if a Charcoal has been acted up by a dilution gene. Could an Isabel gene have this effect?...because of the missing teardrop? I have one Fawn bird in my flock who also carries Isabel - he would have to be the dad. I also have lots of Marked Whites, but that wouldn't explain the missing teardrop.

When the weather clears up I'll try to get a decent photo. Could be a few days, by the looks of the forecast.

[Finchy]

Finally, photos...using my newfangled photo chamber. I'd call her a 'Silver Charcoal', though I didn't know there was such a thing! If that's what she is, what do males of the same blend look like? I've put her next to an actual Charcoal so you can see how different she is...

[Tiaris]

Maybe a dilute blue charcoal??
That charcoal makes her look like a dwarf.

[Finchy]

Yes, especially the last picture! Very weird perspective.

She is a bit smaller though, which pretty much confirms she has Silver blood in her as that line is smaller. I just wasn't aware of how Charcoal and Silver/Dilute can apparently blend into a kind of co-dominant result like this. I'm very curious what the males look like, but can't find any photos or discussions online.

[Tiaris]

If you bred her, you must have split charcoal in your dilute blue birds so a male is just as possible as a hen. Maybe next clutch.

[Craig52]

Are you sure it's a hen, it seems to have a very diluted male ear patch. Craig

[Finchy]

Pretty sure. Acts like a hen, and no trace of flank markings.