Aussie Finch Forum

[quote="Myzomela"]There also appears to be a lot of barring on the tail feathers. It would be interesting to see if the feather structure is normal or just the pattern in which the pigment is deposited in the feather is abnormal

I may be wrong but I think this is abnormal in this species.

The faded colour, white tips to the wing feathers & the barring (if abnormal) suggest some metabolic abnormality and impaired ability to develop normal pigment, even though the bird itself appears healthy.

I have seen birds with similar pigment abnormalities in other species. The less severe ones eventually moult back to normal. The more severe ones seem to die prematurely.

Time will tell if it is an acquired change due to some abnormaility/illness/deficiency or if indeed it is a mutation.

Hopefully, Natamambo, it's the latter!!
I had the chance of buying so called yellow diamond a few years ago,the red was similar,if not a lot oranger than that redbrow.This person asked me to catch all the diamonds in the aviary so we could sex them,ring them and release them back in the aviary.Surprisingly,every bird i caught had some yellow/orange in their red rumps.I did notice that the only seed these birds were being fed was canary seed.
The cock full yellow/orange bird i purchased reverted back to the normal red in a few months on a mixed diet of seeds,greens etc and i wasn't a happy chappy.
I've got a fair idea that birds fed canary or even just wheat,can have an effect on pigment colour and both these seeds can effect reds and greens,am i right Myzomela. Craig

Have seen that happen to Chestnut Finches...fed a diet of canary seed and their belly feathers were black..

Craig, I know there are cases when diet can effect birds. Mine get far more than just canary and at the moment are even hopping in to the maggots so hopefully they're getting ready to nest. I'm also positive they go a varied diet at Gomer's.

The hen in the same flight is unaffected so if it's not a mutation then metabolism is the more likely cause. Of course most such mutations are modified metabolisms it's just that the altered metabolism is caused by genes that are passed to future generations.

That maybe true Natamambo but the bird or birds maybe just eating the one desired seed or am i just picking at straws here,any how it's just my opinion. Cheers Craig

If he is Craig, he's leaving an awful lot of the mix. The one I'm buying at present comes from that guy from Shepp at the sales and it's 50% pannicum (red and white) from memory, 30% canary and the rest a mixture of the other stuff.

I'm prepared to accept that it may be "just that bird". However, by discussing this we help each other whenever something strange appears in our flocks, and maybe, just maybe, to quote Holmes, "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth".

What do you think of this little guy. The body is a little darker than normal and the yellow make the bird quite attractive.

Ok,i am prepared to say that is a yellow mutation redbrow,simply because you mentioned the darker body colour as the yellow i had quite a few years ago had a very dull grey body.It is the case with yellow mutation diamonds as well,being yellow and not red,seems to drag out any of the the brighter colours in the whole body.
I would like to know the history of your yellow redbrow GP Finches as mine was trapped out of the wild many years ago and as i couldn't breed it i gave it to a mate in Newcastle and i don't think he bred it either. Cheers Craig

GP Finches 95% sure that looks like a mutation.Nice Colouring.

Would like to hear more about everyones yellows, just to know how they turned out and if they bred. Thanks
LML

Here's another: