Aussie Finch Forum

I recently purchased from a dealer a normal Gouldian cock imported from Europe. Being imported I have no information regarding his lineage. Phenotypically he has a weird mix of light to dark greens on his wings, a wide collar(?) of yellowy-green below his blue collar, iridescent purple breast with some darker flecks (see the cage photo), and some white feathers on his head and throat that I assume will moult out later.

Is there something worth preserving genetically with this guy, or is his appearance simply a case of natural variation of green-backs, or poor condition (melanism?) that will moult out later? I know I've seen photos of a Gouldian with a yellowish collar on this website, but I'm not sure if I have seen a Gouldian quite like this cock with such a wide variation of greens on his back and wings.

Any comments? Educated guesses? You can see further images on my website:

http://www.ohmifinch.com/DB/ItemDetail.asp?item=46631

Looks like a bit of induced melanism to me.

Wait until he moults again to see if the colour changes, but if it doesn't as you said, he was imported from Europe so you don't know the full history of the bird. Which website or breeder did you buy him from, and which country was he imported from?

Just a thought, how long did it take for him to arrive? He probably hasn’t see sunlight for weeks, so he might be missing out on vitamins so his feathers are getting lighter.

Would be nice if you had fluked something different. But I would try just giving him a very good diet and observing, as it is possibly a dietry difficency.
Hope he does the right thing and breeds for you in time.
LML

Possibility of being Edged they have in Sth Africa not sure about Europe

Thanks for the replies guys (that is a unisex "guys" by the way ).

Yes Tiaris I think you are probably right and I had thought about melanism prior to slapping my money on the table. Being relatively inexperienced I have not seen many examples of melanism and assumed it would be much more "homogeneous" rather than this textured, cloudy variation of greens.

Whatever the cause he now receives ample sunlight daily and weekly Nekton supplements so if it is melanism or a dietary problem I might see some changes over the next six months or so. In the meantime I am thinking of pairing him with a couple of irresistible normal hens just in case there is a genetic reason for his appearance. He is certainly an active bird and loves to sing so I don't think he is ill in any way.

Possibility of being Edged they have in Sth Africa not sure about Europe

Thanks for the tip-off nxe04d. Do you have any images or other information regarding this mutation? I just did a general Internet search but could not find even the slightest mention of an Edged mutation for Gouldians.