Abstract
We in Australia are very fortunate, indeed, to have so many varieties of birds native to our country. Many of our native birds are considered to be among the most beautiful birds in the world. Many Australian species are also considered quite elite in any avicultural collection.
In addition to the normal beauty and elegance of the Australian birds, many species have developed color mutations. The only apparent disadvantage to these mutations is that they seem to be a little weaker than the normal bird. Their striking appearance, however, more than makes up for their slight weakness.
One of our most colorful little parrots is the turquoisine (Neophema pulchella) whose Latin name means "beautiful". One of the most impressive color mutations I have ever seen occurred in the turquoisine. The normally green back and body is in the mutation a light lime green on the back and a lemon yellow on the body. The striking red wing stripe and the intense blue on the face make the male turquoisine a very beautiful bird indeed. The female is quite pleasing also, but, of course, lacks the red wing bar and has less blue on the face. This mutation is recessive in nature and both sexes can be split. The yellow turquoise parrot first appeared in Australia about eighteen years ago and a number of them found their way to Europe. They are still quite rare and command a rather high price.
In the wild some turquoisines have red thighs contrasting nicely with yellow bellies. Many turquoisines, on the other hand, are all yellow across the belly and thighs. Mr. Carew of Sydney has developed a very pretty color variety of turquoisine by selective breeding. For six or seven years he has bred the birds with the reddest thighs together. This has resulted in more and more red appearing on the succeeding generations. This, of course, is not a genetic mutation but is an example of controlled line-breeding toward a specific goal - the red fronted turquoisine. Mr.
Carew's best birds now are completely red on their thighs, abdomen and chest. Hopefully, in due course, someone will cross this red fronted turquoisine with the yellow turquoisine. The eventual result should be a yellow bird with red wing stripes and a red chest and abdomen and a bright blue face. Wouldn't that be a gem of a bird?
Another very striking color mutation is the yellow king parrot. The normal Australian king parrot is one of the most beautiful aviary subjects in its own right but in the mutation the red color remains the same and the green is completely replaced by a very bright yellow. The yellow-red contrast is very dashing. This mutation is not plentiful but with a bit of luck the yellow hen pictured will raise a number of babies and a few will be available to breeders who specialize in mutations.
The foregoing mutations are brighter in color or more striking than their normal forms. There are several mutations, however, that are less colorful than their normal counterpart. The blue scarlet (Neophema splendida) and the blue Princess of Wales fitthis category. In these birds the normal green is replaced by a soft powder blue or a bluish-green. In the scarlet-chested parrot the red on the breast is replaced by a creamy salmon color. Thus you have a bird whose color is pastel blue and white rather than the normal bright green and vivid red. Similarly, in the blue Princess the pink color is replaced by soft white. Both of these color mutations are recessive and they both still command a fairly high price.
Other mutations I have heard of but not seen include the lutino Adelaide rosella, the lutino golden-mantled rosella, the pied golden-mantled, the white rose-breasted cockatoo, and cinnamon grass parakeets. As time permits, I hope to photograph more of the mutations found in our Australian aviaries so our overseas friends can enjoy their beauty too •