ORIGINAL
BOOK REVIEW
by
Dr. Rainer R.
Erhardt
"Well, there is help on
the horizon and
anyone seriously
interested in color
genetics should take a
look at Linda Rubin's
book:
COCKATIEL
G
ENETICS MADE EASY!
Though this book is
primarily directed to
breeders of cockatiel
mutations, there is
enough information in
this little volume to
teach anyone the
secrets of dealing
with recessive,
sex-linked, and
dominant mutations..."
ACBM, Vol. 65, No.12
CLICK TO READ THE
REST OF THE REVIEW!
112 pages, 15 chapters,
glossary & more!
Copyright 2006 Linda S. Rubin
Multiple Bird
Households
by
Linda S. Rubin
Ultimate
Parrot Guide
by
Linda S. Rubin
click for descriptions, chapter excerpts, & reviews!
Series by
Linda S. Rubin
Monthly Genetics Articles
Ask Cockatiel Genetics Questions
Cockatiel Color Mutations Genome
Cockatiel Color Mutations Articles
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BREEDING & SHOWING WHITEFACE LUTINO CINNAMON
PEARLS & OTHER WHITEFACE LUTINO CROSSES
Copyright © 2005 LINDA S. RUBIN
CF Genetics Consultant/Panel Judge   
www.CockatielsPlusParrots.com
Selected Q&A's "From My Mailbox"



QUESTION #1
Whiteface Lutinos are my absolute favorite color. I have a Whiteface
Lutino and a Whiteface Pied. I just love the all-white color of my bird,
Evian. Her father is a Whiteface Cinnamon Pearl and the mother is a
Whiteface Cinnamon Pied. It has been suggested that my bird would
really be a Whiteface Lutino
pearl, but the pearl lacings would not
show. She's a very robust, large bird, even though she's still a baby. If
Whiteface-Lutinos are my goal, is Evian capable of producing this
color, or would it take several generations down the road to reach this
goal? Thank you,
Marci

ANSWER
Hi Marci,

In order to produce “Evian,” your "all white bird,” her sire must also be
split (carry the gene for) Lutino. Therefore, Evian’s father is actually a
Whiteface Cinnamon Pearl/Lutino cock.


It might be a bit easier to chart the pair with their percentages:


Whiteface Cinnamon-Pearl/Lutino cock x
Whiteface Cinnamon Pied hen


XCPL  XCP ww   l   XC   Y  wwpp
-----------------------------------------------


The offspring will be:

cocks
25% Whiteface Cinnamon/Lutino-Pearl Pied  XCPL XC wwp
25% Whiteface Cinnamon/Pearl Pied    XCP  XC  wwp

hens
25% Whiteface Lutino-Cinnamon-Pearl/Pied   XCPL  Y wwp
25% Whiteface Cinnamon-Pearl/Pied    XCP  Y  wwp


”Evian,” your visually all-white bird, is the third genotype listed above
(Whiteface Lutino-Cinnamon-Pearl/Pied).  Because the gene for
Whiteface eliminates all orange and yellow (carotenoid) pigments, and
the gene for Lutino masks any other color (melanin) pigment, the
Cinnamon and Pearl mutations cannot be seen.  


However, do keep in mind that in some strains of Whiteface-Lutinos, a
slight shading or pigment may be seen under Vitalights. This is more
noticeable on the show bench and many exhibitors are unaware that
their birds carry this slight fault until they are benched!


The reason for this fault is due to the background bloodlines of any
Lutinos used. Some Lutinos raised from Normal stock that do not
completely mask the pigment have been called "Lavender-wings,"
while other Lutinos mixed with Cinnamon lines are even more apt to
show shading. Therefore:

1) be sure that whichever Lutinos you use for the production of your
future Whiteface-Lutinos lack any slight (melanin) shadings. You may
have to examine a bird directly under Vitalights to be certain. And,

2) do be sure that no evidence of baldness is present in any birds you
use. Baldness is an inherited trait in Lutino stock and you should not
have any baldness evident in the previous three generations, or it can
return in future generations.


My recommendation is to always go with large birds that are well
proportioned and it sounds as if you have such attributes in your
cockatiel already. If you can find a visually appropriate mate that is
unrelated, but linebred from exceptional bloodlines, then you can
breed such colors together. However, in most cases, splits are used. If
you find an exceptional Normal Grey split to Whiteface-Lutino, it will
only produce a minority of visuals.


Pairing your hen to a Lutino/Whiteface will produce:


cocks
12.50% Whiteface-Lutino/Cinnamon-Pearl-Pied
12.50% Whiteface-Lutino/Cinnamon-Pearl
12.50% Lutino/Whiteface-Cinnamon-Pearl-Pied
12.50% Lutino/Whiteface-Cinnamon-Pearl

hens
12.50% Whiteface-Lutino/Pied
12.50% Whiteface-Lutino
12.50% Lutino/Whiteface-Pied
12.50% Lutino/Whiteface


Or, pairing your hen to a Whiteface/Lutino will produce:


cocks
12.50% Whiteface-Lutino/Cinnamon-Pearl-Pied
12.50% Whiteface-Lutino/Cinnamon-Pearl
12.50% Whiteface/Lutino-Cinnamon-Pearl-Pied
12.50% Whiteface/Lutino-Cinnamon-Pearl

hens
12.50% Whiteface-Lutino/Pied
12.50% Whiteface-Lutino
12.50% Whiteface/Pied
12.50% Whiteface

Hope this helps you decide.


QUESTION #2
“Evian” definitely has the cinnamon markings you wrote of above. I
have a full-spectrum fluorescent light over her cage and I can see the
markings; however, they seem to be only where the barring would be
on her tail, and not on her wings or the rest of her body. She is only 4
months old and perhaps that might change as she molts. Is this
allowed when showing a hen, even an all-white one? Another reason I
was so attracted to this bird is that she has absolutely no trace of
baldness. I knew I didn't want a bird with that fault, so it's the first thing
I checked when I went to visit my breeder's birds.
Best wishes,
Marci

ANSWER
It is good that the slight shading you've noticed is limited only to the
undersides of Evian's tail. However, there is no guarantee that more
pigmented shading won't develop elsewhere with age; conversely, her
color could remain exactly as it is. Time is the ultimate judge in this
matter. On a good note, however, this type of tinting is more often
observed in males, which tend to have the tinting extending over their
back and wings as well.

However, because the tinting you have described is confined to the
underside of the tail, this is only a very minor fault in color (e.g. less
than 5 points), and to be truthful, not all judges may notice this fault
as they will be too busy looking for the obvious such as inherited
baldness behind the crest. However, it is my task to update the color
mutations in our standard where these faults - and attributes - will be
included for both judges and exhibitors to read. Hopefully, it will help
us all to produce better birds and continually improve our stock.

I'm glad you've started a book for Evian and printed out the chart and
saved it for selecting a possible future mate. Sounds like you are on
your way to developing a quality line.
BREEDING &  SHOWING
WHITEFACE LUTINO CINNAMON PEARLS
& OTHER WHITEFACE LUTINO CROSSES
Copyright © 2005 Linda S. Rubin
All Rights Reserved  
Whiteface-Lutino (
c.2006 Suzanne Ravaillion