Zephyr's Feathered Rainbow
Gouldian & Parrot Finches
Zephyr's Feathered RainbowGouldian & Parrot Finches |
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| Brightly-Coloured Beauties | |||||
| The Gouldian and Parrotfinches range from northern Australia through the "-nesias," Indonesia, Polynesia, Melanesia & Micronesia to Southeast Asia. Most wear red, green and blue, with females subtly paler. Most are fairly quiet. | |||||
Lady Gouldian Finches |
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| Chloebia gouldiae or Erythrura gouldiae | |||||
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13.5-14.5cm (5½-6in), 15-20g (½-¾oz) Australian grassfinch. Fairly quiet, easily trusting. Males sing softly. Also called the Rainbow Finch: red face outlined in black & sky blue, purple chest, yellow belly, green back & wings, blue rump, black tail. The hen is subtly different. Keep one or more true pairs, or a same-sex duo or group. Compatible with other peaceful finches. Special needs: Require an iodine supplement. We have several adult gouldians. |
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The normal-coloured Gouldian: Red face outlined in black and blue, purple chest, yellow abdomen, green back, blue rump, black tail. All green-backed Gouldians have a yellow abdomen and the black and blue markings. Male: brighter red face, red-tipped pearly white beak in breeding season, deeper purple chest, deeper yellow belly, longer tail wires. |
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A BLACK-HEAD bird does not have a brightly-coloured face. The black-head mutation is sex-linked. Some red-head males are able to produce black-head chicks as well as red. They are called red-head split for black-head. An ORANGE-HEAD bird has orange feathers and yellow beak tip in place of red. The orange-head mutation is autosomal recessive. When both mutations occur in the same bird, the bird does not have a brightly-coloured face, and has yellow beak tip in place of red. |
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A WHITE-CHEST bird has white feathers in place of purple. The white-chest mutation is autosomal recessive. A LILAC-CHEST bird has a chest mid-way between white and purple. The lilac-chest mutation is allelic to white chest. It is recessive to purple and dominant to white. |
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A YELLOW-BACK bird produces little to no black & blue pigment. Black and blue areas become white, and green areas become yellow. The mutation is sex-linked with incomplete dominance. The heterozygous birds (which are always males) are an intermediate colour. "Single-Factor Yellow-Back" and "Dilute-Back" can be used interchangeably. Purple-chest dilutes are greener; white-chest dilutes are yellower. |
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A BLUE-BACK bird produces little to no yellow & red pigment. Yellow areas become pale tan to white, and green areas become blue. A red or orange head becomes salmon, with no red or orange on the beak. The mutation is autosomal recessive. |  |
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A SILVER-BACK bird is the combination of yellow-back (little to no black & blue pigment) and blue-back (little to no yellow & red pigment). Black and blue areas become white, yellow areas become pale tan to white, and green areas become silver. A red or orange head becomes salmon, with no red or orange on the beak. Pastel-back is between blue and silver. Purple-chest pastels are bluer; white-chest pastels are closer to silver. |
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Forbes Parrot Finches |
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| Erythrura tricolor | |||||
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10cm (4in), 11g (¼-½oz) Indonesian grassfinch. Very active and lively, provided space is sufficient. Males sing. Keep one pair, or more given enough space and greenery. Compatible with other peaceful finches. Special needs: Limit live food to prevent obesity. Blue head & front, green back & wings, red rump & tail. Males have a deeper blue face. We do not currently have any Forbes. |
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