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| Complete Guide to Cockatiel Color Mutations |
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| Used with great success by cockatiel breeders and zoos worldwide |
| Premiere Book Review by Mr. Thomas C. Marshall Former President, American Federation of Aviculture, Inc. |
| The Complete Guide to COCKATIEL COLOR MUTATIONS, Volume 1 |
| COMING SOON! ~ This work is being transformed into a downloadable digital book in order to keep the expense down for you; solid information with full descriptions, nomenclature and history of the primary mutations - all beautifully illustrated with colorful photos of these stunning mutations. Read FREE chapter excerpts highlighted in red on the bar above at the top of this page ... |
| "Fortunately, Linda Rubin has made available for us The Complete Guide to Cockatiel Color Mutations, reminiscent of earlier contributions, concerning color mutations of parrots, made by British author George Smith in chapters of his books, Lovebirds and Related Parrots and Encyclopedia of Cockatiels. However, Linda has taken the subject of mutations, in terms of color pigmentation to a greater depth and length than has previously been found in anything offered the aviculturist. Discussions of rare color mutations and her references to show standards, make this booklet a one of a kind phenomena for aviculturists with a penchant for the study genetics." |
Read Chapter excerpts by visiting links at the top of this page.
| Another interesting but less popular double mutation is the Lutino Cinnamon. The Lutino Cinnamon is a combination of two sex-linked colors (i.e. Lutino and Cinnamon) appearing together, although in most instances the Lutino will mask the Cinnamon coloration. Therefore, it is possible to possess a so-called "Lutino" which, in actuality, could be the double mutation Lutino Cinnamon. However, chances would be very slim on the latter, unless you knew the full pedigree. In contrast, there are some Lutino Cinnamon specimens which do exhibit varying amounts of tan to brown hues on the wings, tail and other areas including the undersides and back. I have heard reports of some birds ranging from a slight wash to a much deeper coloration. This is extremely interesting as it seems to illustrate a contradiction in the way in which we perceive the Lutino mutation to be inherited. Therefore, it appears it is not always an absolute to assume the ino factor (e.g. Lutino) will always successfully mask the Cinnamon mutation in the combined form. Here then, is where theory parts company from actual practice ... ... I cannot resist the temptation at this time to point to a parallel comparison of the color pigmentation in the Lutino. As mentioned in an earlier section of this series, there are some breeders working with lavendar wings. The lavendar wing is the unofficial label given to those Lutinos which do not seem to successfully mask all the grey melanin pigment in the plumage. As some of the melanin is expressed, or visible, the bird has a greyish or lavendar cast to its wings, tail and frequently other areas. This would be considered a fault on the showbench, much in the same manner that a lutino budgerigar sporting a greenish cast or an albino budgerigar sporting a bluish cast would be faulted. It is my opinion that eventually these lavendar wings, if selectively bred, would only produce Normal Greys as the intensity of melanin pigmentation increases. Yet, this is only theory and to the best of my knowledge has not yet been proven. One could also take the opposite stand and claim that the ino factor of the Lutino has weakened, and so cannot successfully mask the grey melanin hidden underneath. Looking back at the Lutino Cinnamon, could we also ask the same questions? If selectively bred for the brown shades would we ultimately produce only Cinnamons again? Or, if the ino factor of the Lutino is being weakened and allowing for such specimens as the lavendar wing where grey pigmentation is expressed, do we face the same problem with the Lutino Cinnamon where the ino factor also cannot successfully mask the Cinnamon color? (More to the point, do we view this as a problem or a step in another direction)? To complicate the picture further, if we work with Lutinos from lavendar wing lines for our Lutino Cinnamons, will the grey melanin pigment of the lavendadar wing become dominant over any cinnamon or tan colors which would have been expressed? ... One certainly could speculate even further on ... would the new true Albino be altered when bred to other colors if the ino factor (i.e. Lutino or Albino) is affected? Or, is this a matter of proper selective breeding against possible show faults such as eliminating the darker pigments and not allowing them to show through? ... Furthermore, it would be impossible to recognize a Lutino Cinnamon if the Lutino did successfully mask the Cinnamon color. Show classifications are usually based on phenotype (visual characteristics) not genotype (the full pedigree of all characteristinc). At this time, we are not certain of the nature of many colors or how they'll interest in the hierarchy of dominance with other colors or factors ... (Continued) ... |
Excerpt to Color Pigmentation, part V
Lutino Cinnamon
Lutino Cinnamon
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| Complete Guide Title Page & Book Review Forward Excerpt to Color Pigmentation, part V Excerpt to Color Pigmentation, part VIII |
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