Rocky Horror - Transexual Transilvanian Zebra

[GregH]

I had close look in my main aviary today and was puzzled by the coloration of a "normal" zebra finch that wasn't there when I left in June - actually it probably was as there were some uncoloured fledglings. Anyway the bird appears to be a poorly coloured male or a female that's been dabbling with steroids. The other newcomers appear either male or female but there is definitely something Transilvanian going on. The chest bars are very light and ill-defined. Also the chestnut ear patches are only partly formed. I can try to get a photo next weekend but I'm wondering if anybody has seen this type of thing before in finches? I did see a consensus on the blogg forming that the scarlet Neophema was a poor male. Could this be the case or are there true hermaphrodites in birds? In avain females only the left ovary develops so with some coaxing could the right gonad primorium develop into a testis? Does anyone have any ideas? I certainly don't want to breed from it but I can't quite bring myself to sacrifice it to satisfy my curiosity.

[Pete Sara]

well . when i had zebbies i had charcoals and the females had chest barring and in the pure form of the red zebbie the female can have a biscuit coloured cheek patch. so unless you know the genetic make up of all your birds it could be a throw back of some mutations that may appear over your way, remember that's how we get the mutations we want to keep , from such freaks of nature....pete

[jusdeb]

Now has images of a zeb dressed up in stilettos and fishnet stockings strutting on stage singing sweet transvestite from transexual transylvania

[Diane]

Now has images of a zeb dressed up in stilettos and fishnet stockings strutting on stage singing sweet transvestite from transexual transylvania

[finchbreeder]

There are definate Hemaphradite birds. I have had such a king quail for some years "oddball" apeared to be a female when it fledged, then after a couple of months the chestnut feathers started to form on its chest, until it appeared fully male. OK I thought so you are a late bloomer. But when put with a female it largely ignored her. So out of curiosity put it with a male. And the bird then molted out female. Has recently been sharing with a pair and has again molted in the black and white bib but chest is female. Never layed an egg or shown an interest in the girls, but is happy to be fed tit-bits by its sometimes mate.
But as Pete says your bird sounds a bit like it could be from black fronted mutations. As I have a pair at the moment, definately their chick they are in there own breeding cage. He is a full black fronted fawn cock black from chest to vent, she is a normal fawn. Both from cocks who had black fronts from chest to belly, her dad fawn his normal. 1st round 2 visually normal cocks. 2nd round 1 visually normal hen 2 birds who have pale cheek patches and chestnut markings at the edge of the chest where the band should begin but no band. All young fawn. Will dig up my earlier article on the quail, and see that it is in the new posts for those interested.
LML

[Jayburd]

wierd - would like to see that!

I've seen hermaphrodite gouldians that are black - head hens n one side and red head cocks on the other! like a line runs between them, looks as though someone's cut two gouldians in half and glued them together (eew) but they are cool...

[VR1Ton]

Thats a half sider Jay, occurs occasionally in parrots, mask lovebirds are probably the most common for it, one side is a blue mask the other is the normal green. I've also seen a female Eclectus like it, one side was normal colour, the other side was reversed, red whereit should be blue, and blue where it should be red. As for the zebbie, it could be a very lightly marked pied, check the flight fethers, the bastard wing feather, or coloured toe nails, I had a blue budgie female mated to a green cock, both normals I thougt till they threw a dominate green pied, on close inspection, the female had one pied bastard wing feather.

[Jayburd]

I've seen halfsider zebs too, but this doesn't sound like one.

[VR1Ton]

No, definatelly not, I think it's a pied or may be a grizzel.

[Jayburd]

I thought grizzles were rare? or was that george?