Help with the Colors I can expect????

[Richcat]

Rich here and I am picking up two birds in a week. One blue and one green from different parents. I was wondering if you breed these two birds what colors I can expect?

The male(blue) and female(green) are both from different parents.The blue is from an American white mated with a blue.The green is just from different green parents.

[RockyandhisFriends]

Rich,
The only thing you can be sure of is that the offspring of your birds will be visual green split to blue. You would have to go back a little further in both birds lineage to make a more accurate assessment of the different mutation possibilities. I would try to get a green split to blue bird to mate with a blue bird. This will at least give you a 50% chance of getting a blue bird.
Phil

[father0fseven]

So, your male is probably Blue/Dilute (blue split to dilute). The green could be anything so we'll assume the green is normal.

First, all of your babies will be green. They will all get yellow and blue coloring from mom which will be dominant over anything papa-blue gives.

You will probably end up with 50% green/blue and 50% green/blue dilute (written out, that's green split to blue and green double split to blue and dilute)

[Richcat]

Thanks for the info Darren

[RockyandhisFriends]

Darren,

I only agree with 2 out of 3 of your statements.

1) The offspring of a dilute blue (American White) and a visual blue bird
will give you 100% visual blue birds split to dilute (American Yellow).
I agree.

2) I agree that all the birds will be visual green. But they will get the blue
and dilute (American Yellow) genes from the male not the female. Both
the blue gene and the dilute (American Yellow) genes are recessive
not dominant. Please explain.

3) I agree the offspring of these birds will be 50% green split to blue and
50% green double split blue and dilute (American Yellow).

Phil

[father0fseven]

Darren,

I only agree with 2 out of 3 of your statements.

2) I agree that all the birds will be visual green. But they will get the blue
and dilute (American Yellow) genes from the male not the female. Both
the blue gene and the dilute (American Yellow) genes are recessive
not dominant. Please explain.



I was referring to coloring/pigments -- the "Psittacin" and the "spongy zone"

For those that want to know what that's about -- the Psittacin is what provides the yellow coloring to a feather. The spongy zone is what provides the blue coloring. A normal bird with both will look green (blue+yellow=green).

The mutation for a blue parrotlet causes a loss of the Psittacin (loss of the yellow coloring making a blue bird). The dilute mutation is a little more complicated and has to do with light not reflecting so the spongy zone can't add a blue coloring (making a yellow bird). In both cases, the mutation causes a color to NOT be produced leaving the OTHER color for the bird.

So, my comment about mama bird providing both yellow and green was an attempt to over simplify.