Aussie Finch Forum

It seems to me that Gouldians are almost as common in avairys as Zebras these days. I am not saying this is necessarily a bad thing. As it allows more people to afford them, and the colours certainly make them more attractive to beginners. But it could mean the demise of pure anything as many beginners know nothing about genetics. So many Australian and european yellows have been crossed over the years in innocent ignorance of the difference.
LML

I agree too. Probably because of their colour have they become so popular. That was the reason I chose them as my first birds.

In my belief, they will eventually will go the same way as the zebra finch, by which it being almost impossible to get true pure normals.
It still amazes me with common species like Gouldians and Zebras, how they actually sell. Because I see holding cages full of them and eventually they all do sell surprisingly, there still is a fair amount of demand.
I personally am always trying to get only pure normals, because of that reason.
Which means also then again, when someone goes on about their birds, when someone says something like 'Yeah I've got some 100% pure normal Gouldians', before then someone else saying "Well, I've got Aussie Yellows and Blue Gouldians', you get the idea who they are going to listen , they just want new colors of everything (its pretty cut throat)
Thanks
Noah Till

I know. I think because of their popularity here and around the world as an aviary and cage birds they will end up ridiculously cheap like Zebbies and may aswell replace the zebbie and bengalese as beginners bird.

noah.till wrote: ↑16 Aug 2019, 12:44 In my belief, they will eventually will go the same way as the zebra finch, by which it being almost impossible to get true pure normals.

They are already like that and have been for at least 10 years. Even specialist breeders that try to keep pure strains that don't carry the unusual colour genes are getting mutations appearing. The only way to get pure strains nowadays is to get in touch with the guys breeding them in the Kimberley, and they release them into the wild. Unfortunately the duckheads in the department of environment and protection won't provide us with a contact number or email addy to ask if we can buy some.

Basically Gouldians are the new zebra finch.

There are still people that have pure strains of Gouldians, black heads mostly.
You have to look around, but they can be sourced.

Cheers
Brett

I had pure OH for a long time. But bought some outcross blood in. And a Black head turned up.
LML

But orange heads are black heads FB and that black would have a yellow tipped bill.

Surely Orange are recessive red or dilute red? and Black heads are either yellow or red and naturally this one was yellow.
LML

We seem to be getting tangled in the genetics.
They are all base Black heads, if they have the dominant red head gene then they will be red heads.
If they have a dominant red head gene and homozygous recessive yellow genes , then they will be yellow heads
If they have NO red head gene and homozygous yellow genes then they will be black heads with yellow tipped beaks.

Either way these are all found in the wild birds so not really relevant to this discussion.

Cheers
Brett