Aussie Finch Forum

Like you Sezza I think these blue fronted - dirty whites are very attractive. And feel that if some of us start breeding for nice even blue like that boy of yours has. They will soon become coloured whites instead of dirty whites. Perceptions can be changed.
LML

i quite like him aswell whicj is why i couldnt resits taking him home. i wonder what would be the best coloured female to put him with to see if it carrys down the line.

Gee BB, not sure if I'm flattered or scared by that rap .

A little lesson in feather colouring - note that it is highly simplified:
Black and associated dark colors are caused by one of two types of melanin. One causes black and the other causes reddish brown, the latter is what causes the purple breast.
Red and yellow are caused by two different forms of carotin, the absence of the red one causes the yellow head. Red is also found in the breast.
Blue feathers are not caused by the pigments absorbed from food but rather the structure of the feather which reflects only blue light.

Green is caused by structural blue + melanin + lutein (the yellow carotin). The absence of the melanin causes yellow backs and white breasts - either singly as in yellowbacks or together (to varying depths of colour) in Aus yellows. The absence if melanin in a red headed bird means that a red headed yellow is possible but not a black headed yellow, hence the white heads.

We do not understand the genetic relationship of localized pigments such that black and red are turned off to get white breast.

Ok, so much for the lesson. Theoretically a blue breasted bird is not possible as blue is not a manufactured colour. In practice a blue breasted bird arises either by a "dirty white" or by feather malformation (which may be the same thing). In theory this means that a blue breasted bird can only come from line breeding for a characteristic - in the same way we breed for size or strength of colour.

The fact that blue is present on the back all the time (changed by the carotin and melanin to green) suggests that the required feather structure for blue could equally be bred for breast as well. However as it is a modification rather than a mutation there is no guarantee that birds will breed true to type.

One thing is certain, the bird in question needs to bred with a white breasted bird as putting melanin back in will hide the "dirty white" you are trying to enhance.

For an In depth read of Gouldian feather pigments http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v085n0 ... p0430.pdf].

Note that the feather structure needed for blue is found in the black headed's head but not the red headed so a blue headed bird is possible! - and in fact occurring but we don't know yet wether it will be an inherited trait or if it will be a modification.

cheers for the reply i will study it a try get my head around it lol.

soo looks like i might have to go hunting for a WB female

yay more pretty birdies. solves the issue of what to put in the other aviry

this happens quite a bit ,some have more blue hue and some only a small amount
this can also show as a mauve hue as well at times .. normally they moult out to white breast in the next moult.

Looks as tho you might have the start of blue breast I have had some previously but they have moulted out the following season to normal white breast yours seems to be diffused more than mine I will post a pic when I figure how? cheers

Once you have your 5 mod approved posts you will be able to load pics. Instructions here
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If you have any problems pm me and I will post the pics for you.

Hi can say I have the same mine was halve purple breast & blue now it's full blue . It's been like that for well over year now also have cock that is alway halve white & rest purple