| 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 GENETICS 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 |
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| White Spots on Cinnamon’s Wings Copyright © 2004 LINDA S. RUBIN CF Genetics Consultant/Panel Judge www.CockatielsPlusParrots.com All Rights Reserved Selected Q&A's "From My Mailbox" Q. I have a Cinnamon hen split to Whiteface and Pied that has a couple of flight feathers on each side that have just grown back in with white spots in no particular pattern. They appear as if a couple of drops of bleach have been spilled on a colored piece of clothing. It is not very heavy. Could this be caused by being split to Pied, or is it something else? A. If I am understanding your question correctly, you are stating that your cockatiel has "spots" that are not necessarily round, nor appear in an orderly row as seen on the underside of adult hens' and adolescents' flight feathers. If this "bleached" effect appears to be tie-dyed or irregular, then it may be caused by a reduction of melanin pigment in the feather. It is doubtful that the Pied mutation has anything to do with this marbling effect, as you describe it. However, pigment reduction is not uncommon in Cinnamon and Normal Grey cockatiels. It is often seen on the back and wings of adult Cinnamon males, although it can be found in both genders. Show Standards require that Cinnamons be well colored (i.e., with brown tones rather than grey tones) and well pigmented (i.e., lacking white, ghost-like markings) appearing an even color depth throughout. Unfortunately, this whitish "marbling," or pigment reduction, is considered a fault on the show bench. If you should even decide to breed this particular Cinnamon, pair this hen to a mate that has deep, evenly distributed pigment in its ground color, whether it is Normal Grey, Cinnamon, Silver, etc. Keep only the offspring that lack any marbling defect and continue to selectively breed for evenly distributed pigment. This is known as selective breeding. Although marbling or depigmentation is a show fault, some fanciers like the effect and I have seen some heavily depigmented Cinnamon cockatiels that certainly were stunning. Whether or not they were due to a genetic trait, or more likely, bleached by the sun from living in outdoor aviaries would be significant to know. If a trait can be isolated and selected for, it might become inherited. In time, it may even become accepted, however, at this time Cinnamons with any marbling, bleaching or ghost-like markings would be considered a fault on the show bench. However, if the effect is limited to a small area, this can be improved upon by selective breeding in otherwise good birds. Some depigmentation is common and if confined to a small area chances are that a show judge would not penalize too heavily (the extent of color is only worth 5% of the 10% weighted color category in the show standard). Therefore, should you ever wish to exhibit your Cinnamon, I'd recommend you not let this hold you back. One never knows what other faults will be found in the competition in shows and depth of color being 5% is a very small aspect of the show standard. |
| WHITE SPOTS ON CINNAMON'S WINGS Copyright © 2004 Linda S. Rubin ~ All Rights Reserved |
| c. 2005 Linda S. Rubin (click on thumbnail to enlarge) |