Common Wing Patterns

[Bea]

Whether you're new to budgies or have been keeping them for a while you will probably have noticed that there are many different colours and patterns on different birds wings. In this post i hope to explain in plain english what each of these wing patterns are and how to recognise them.

Normal
You may have heard the term 'normal green/blue'. Rather than the colour the 'normal' part is refering to the wing pattern. Normal means that the wing pattern is the same as in wild budgies, black with yellow edging in a green budgie and white edging in a blue bird:
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Belindas_Pets/birdsinaviary025.jpg
(normal green)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Belindas_Pets/newtoys005.jpg
(normal blue)

Spangle
Spangle is another wing pattern that's easy to identify. A spangle budgie's wing markings will be the opposite of a normal budgie. So, the markings will be white with black edging.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Belindas_Pets/WeebleBudgie003.jpg
(blue spangle)

Opaline
Opaline budgies are recognisable by the lack of markings between their wings and also by paler head bars. Also, rather than white or yellow edging to the wings the wings will be edged in the body colour.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Belindas_Pets/FreshSalad018.jpg
(2 opaline blues - left, compared to 2 normals - right)

Cinnamon
The last wing pattern i will talk about is cinnamon. Rather than a change in pattern this is a change in wing colour from black to brown. You can get cinnamons in any of the previously mentioned wing patterns (normal, spangle, opaline). As well as changing the colour of the wings, cinnamon also reduces the body colour leaving a very pale coloured bird.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Belindas_Pets/FreshSalad014.jpg
(normal cinnamon blue compared to a normal green)

Feel free to ask questions if any of this has just gone straight over your head.:)

[Dave]

I understood that. Very informative. :)

[Amy]

:dunno: Im going to breed my budgies and I was just wondering what colour the babies would be. The female is Albino and the male has a yellow head and wings with a turquoisey body.
Do you have any idea?

[Bea]

Well unless the male is split to albino you wont get any more albinos, if the male is split to albino then you could possibly get albino females but not males. Otherwise i'm guessing you'll get yellowface and white face blues.

[Amy]

Thanks, they sound lovely!

[miss_missy]

what are my two birds. Electra is yellow. the head and wings and some of the body is yellow. and then it goes to green. and has black spots on her head and wings. then has blue spots on her cheecks then her tail is dark green then to black and yellow with some green. then the boy is light blue and with black on his back and head with a white head and blue cheeks.. then his tail is dark blue and white what do you think there babys would look like???? they are above..in the picture

[Bea]

By the looks of them in your avatar i would say Electra is a light green dominant pied and the boy is a sky blue opaline which means that unless Electra had a blue parent all the babies will be green.

[miss_missy]

thanks..... You are very smart:)

[Bea]

thanks, it's taken a while to get this far and i still haven't learnt as much as other people i know!

[Kiko&Kina]

wow....bea. you impress me.....with your..........KNOWLAGE OF DOOM!!!!!!! Okay I just HAD to say that. sorry. lol.

[Amy]

That is a very random thing to say!

Yeah Bea that was very clear and I agree you are clever to know all of that!

Um but what does 'split to albino' mean?

[Bea]

Split to albino is something only male budgies can be. What it means is that one of the males parents was albino and therefore he carries the albino gene. If you were to breed with a split to albino male to a blue female you could possibly get albino female babies. :)

[Amy]

No, he isn't. Thanks Bea! So they'll maybe be what you said. Whiteface and Yellowface Blues.

[jonathanH]

wow bea you no alot about jeans if my budgies were to have babies what colour would they be my female is the exact colour as your male budgie blinkie which blinckie is very beautiful and my maly is blue with a white face dark blue cheeks dark blue tail what do u think the colour of the babys will be??

[Bea]

Well if your male is a cobalt spangle (like blinkie) and your female is also blue (what colour are her wings?) then you'll probably get normal and spangle skyblue and cobalt babies. :)

[jonathanH]

my female is the exact colour as your male and my male is the dark blue with a white face blue wings and tail black patterns in wings?? lets just say this my male is the exact colour as the budgie at the top of the page where it says talk budgies the ultimate budgie forum!

[Bea]

Oh ok, then you'll get normal blues (like the one up the top) and i think spangles too....however, i haven't got much experience with breeding spangle females so i'll have to find out if there are any rules...

[Crystal_Dawn]

This conversation made me wonder what my budgie's hypothetical babies would look like! haha. Trisket (the girl) is yellow with the fancy wing pattern and some vibrant green on her under belly and tail... Kieco is auqa/turquise blue with traditional wing pattern. You seem to know your stuff in this area, any ideas Bea?

[Bea]

Ok, that sounds like you female is a recessive pied and your male is a normal skyblue. If that's right then you will most likely get all normal greens unless your female had a blue parent (making her split to blue) then you would get some normal blues as well, or your male had a recessive pied parent (split to pied) then you would get normal and pied babies. :)

[Crystal_Dawn]

you amaze me Bea! how do you know all of these genetic combos??? I wish I was a fan of breeding just so I could find out if your right hahaha!:p

[Amy]

Well I believe Bea, so I don't need to!

[Bea]

Hehe, thanks. It took me a few months but i feel like i know the basics of budgie breeding and genetics. :)

[Amy]

Your clever! I've been studying horses for a few years!

[Mavish]

very useful, i decided to get the blue ones, sky blue(turquois) ill post some pictures of my new budgie soon.

[Mistyoriline]

So the Wing pattern is totally genetic?

[Amy]

I supose so!

[Mavish]

thanks a bunch i love cinnamon and spangle!

[buddy]

I thought Buddy was a spangle, she has yellow wings black edging, but if you say they have white wings, I'm not sure,confused???????
Heres her with George, who I think is a normal Blue??? Is he???

[redgirl]

You are very good at the genetics and colours..can I ask you if my budgie Joey is a dominant pied..he has a yellow face he has a white patch on his head his other colours are blue and white bands on his tummy his wings are sky blue with yellow and white on them. I know Eddie is a sky blue normal budgie.

[buddy]

Speaking of which has any1 seen Bea recently???????????????????????

[redgirl]

No shes not been on here, I do hope she will be on soon so she can answer a few of my queries lol BEA WE NEED YOU HERE AT TALK BUDGIES LOL

[redgirl]

Excellent information, thanks Bea.xx

[jodistorm]

Why do you say that the one is a dominant light green pied? It looks like mine and I always thought it was a recessive pied. Please explain the difference. Also I have her mother who is a blue and white bird that looks like the clouds in the sky that I thought was a recessive pied also. The male isa normal green (this I DO know). They are expecting their second clutch. The first yielded two normal blue, and the light green "dominant" pied that I thought was recessive. Any idea what these 4 eggs might yield?

[Ruta<3]

Sweet Guide :D After this I ran downstairs and stared at Rutabaga for a few minutes to study her markings!

[vicks080]

Interesting, too bad my budgie's markings are normal. Bea is so cool, I agree redgirl.

[BUUZBEE]

Why do you say that the one is a dominant light green pied? It looks like mine and I always thought it was a recessive pied. Please explain the difference. Also I have her mother who is a blue and white bird that looks like the clouds in the sky that I thought was a recessive pied also. The male isa normal green (this I DO know). They are expecting their second clutch. The first yielded two normal blue, and the light green "dominant" pied that I thought was recessive. Any idea what these 4 eggs might yield?


Bea, i hope you can answer today, or maybe someone else that good with the mutations (pic is on pg 3 i think)

[BUUZBEE]

I thought Buddy was a spangle, she has yellow wings black edging, but if you say they have white wings, I'm not sure,confused???????
Heres her with George, who I think is a normal Blue??? Is he???

here it is

[Kerry C]

I thought Buddy was a spangle, she has yellow wings black edging, but if you say they have white wings, I'm not sure,confused???????
Heres her with George, who I think is a normal Blue??? Is he???

George is an opaline sky. See the body coloring showing through the wing patter?
Also notice the skull cap. On a normal (blue) bird the white stops at the top of the head. On an opaline the white extends over the back of the head to the should area.

That is a really bad pic of George. George is a grey green spangle, but without a better pic I can not tell what other composite (mutation) the bird posses.

[Bea]

Wait - so what has and hasn't been answered? I'll try to help but i'm confused as to what's been resolved already. :P

[BUUZBEE]

Why do you say that the one is a dominant light green pied? It looks like mine and I always thought it was a recessive pied. Please explain the difference. Also I have her mother who is a blue and white bird that looks like the clouds in the sky that I thought was a recessive pied also. The male isa normal green (this I DO know). They are expecting their second clutch. The first yielded two normal blue, and the light green "dominant" pied that I thought was recessive. Any idea what these 4 eggs might yield?

i was bringing up this question, i have no idea on mutations, so i dont know if its been answered lol :D

[Kerry C]

Wait - so what has and hasn't been answered? I'll try to help but i'm confused as to what's been resolved already. :P

Bea,

If this post is directed at me, Anna asked that I answer a question you had and provided a link. I admit I didn't/don't have time to read through all 3 pages of posts, I'm trying to get all the company 1099s out the door. If your question was already answered, I'm sorry for the confusion. I am jumping on and off this board when I get uptight, it seems to relax me answering the posts with few responses.

Kerry

[BUUZBEE]

Why do you say that the one is a dominant light green pied? It looks like mine and I always thought it was a recessive pied. Please explain the difference. Also I have her mother who is a blue and white bird that looks like the clouds in the sky that I thought was a recessive pied also. The male isa normal green (this I DO know). They are expecting their second clutch. The first yielded two normal blue, and the light green "dominant" pied that I thought was recessive. Any idea what these 4 eggs might yield?

this was the question that hadnt been answered when i last looked at the thread. :)

[cattish_hottie]

Wow! o_0! I need to start memorizing that!;)

[sueann]

I have a lutino hen and a white lacewing...which I thought was albino then
found out lacewings have red eyes as well....anyway would this make a good
pair and if not what would suggest each bird should be bred to? Thankyou

[nev90]

You found a real old thread to post to!

The male chicks from this pair would all be ino and the females would be lacewing. If the lutino is split for blue the males would include both albino and lutino, and the lacewings would include both white & yellow. If she is not split they would be lutino cocks and yellow lacewing hens.

[Tammy.w.]

hi... i was wondering what my male budgie benny was? i have an idea but not a very good one:) he is a light blue with grey tips on the patterns on his wings he has bars on his head but there kind off faded, with darker blue cheeks, and a darker blue on his back. any ideas?
i was also wondering that if i was to mate my two budgies what colour the babies would be. one is a resesive pied female yellow with green on her back and the male is a normal blue budgie, blue with white head and white tips on the end of the markings on the wing. (like yours fizzy) :) ??

[ElzBelz]

Very good :clap clap: :)

[ElzBelz]

hi... i was wondering what my male budgie benny was? i have an idea but not a very good one:) he is a light blue with grey tips on the patterns on his wings he has bars on his head but there kind off faded, with darker blue cheeks, and a darker blue on his back. any ideas?
i was also wondering that if i was to mate my two budgies what colour the babies would be. one is a resesive pied female yellow with green on her back and the male is a normal blue budgie, blue with white head and white tips on the end of the markings on the wing. (like yours fizzy) :) ??

Could you give us a picture?

[lorri]

So if you have a bird like mine, is that a spangle? cos it's only got some black marks on his wings and further down he's got pure white?
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr180/lorricc/My%20pets/Skyupsidedown.jpg