Aussie Finch Forum

Just wondering with all the talk about red fusion bars on gouldians di they appear on hens as well. I've noticed that a couple of my normal cocks (rh pb GB) have them and some don't but none of my hens have this.

im pretty sure the hens don't show a red fusion bar, only males.

I have a couple of cocks with them, but no hens. More obvious on the cocks colouring though I suppose.

I know some people are trying to breed them in on purpose, and it would take an expert like Danny or Myzo to confirm but it looks to me like the structure of the feathers is the cause. The purple is caused by structural blue plus phaemelanin, (one of the two melanins) which is reddish-brown (on the red+blue = purple logic). It looks to me like the blue bit is missing on the bib / underbelly overlap somehow and so all your are left with is the reddish brown colour. If so those trying to breed it are actually trying to increase the amount of poorly structured feathers in that area.