Abstract
The black breasted were shown for the first time in 1968 on the "Bundesschau der Austausch Zentrale der vogelliebhaber und Zuchter Deutschlands e.v. (A.Z.)" in Hamm, Germany, by a bird keeper of Hannover, Germany.
The parents of the first black breasted Zebra Finch were normal grey.
The new mutation is later mated with one of his parents, to obtain a lot of them.
Normally the birds of a new mutation are very small, but this time the mutation has the model of the exhibition type.
The name black breasted is given to this mutation because the upper breast from breast-bar to throat is almost black.
I suppose a lot of fanciers will think that they have already had this mutation in their birdrooms. May I doubt it? I will give you the difference between the normal grey and the black-breasted, so you can see.
1. the area covered by the breast bar is much larger than in the normal form (excessive melanism);
2. the tear mark are missing;
3. a black band down each edge of the beak;
4. the bars of the tail are replaced by a white overlay showing a vertically black band;
5. the side flankings are reddish brown
but they haven't clear white spots but long white flecks (lines);
6. the cheek patches cover a larger area than is found in normal greys, sometimes they almost meet on the crown of the head;
7. most of the birds have also a excessive of phaomelanism (red. melanism) on the back and wings; sometimes the edges of the wings have three colours, white, rust-red and grey.
So, you see it is something special.
The black breasts are intermediate in their manner of inheritance, neither sexlinked nor dominant.
We are also speaking of a double factor of black breast. A black breast with a double factor is a real black breast with all its characteristics.
A black breast with a single factor is in split form, which shows this in a greater or lesser degree. Tear marks may be missing or there may be elongated flank markings or unusual markings on the tail feathers, etc.
The black breast can be bred in all the colours known. In grey, fawn, light back and C.F.W. you can obtain the best results, because the black breast characteristic is maintained in these colours. With other mutations such as Penguin, white, silver and cream a lot of pigment is lost.