Interesting Facts About Cockatiel Mutations

September 11, 2021 0 Comments

Over the past fifty years, breeders around the world have managed to make wonderful color mutations from normal gray cockatoos.

Some breeders spend their lives experimenting and trying to come up with the next beautiful color variation. Unlike other species of birds, cockatoos cannot be crossed. They are unique birds and only breed within their own species.

The most common varieties of cockatiel include normal, tan, white-faced, lutino, albino, dominant silver, and pearl. There is no record of a color mutation in a cockatoo occurring in the wild. This art was developed by breeders of the bird.

Normal gray

This is the natural form of cockatiel and is the most common variety that we all know today.

Cinnamon

This mutation was established in Belgium in the late 1960s. Cinnamon can vary widely in color tone, and adult males tend to be darker. The legs and eyes are a shade lighter than that of the normal gray cockatoo. Cinnamon cockatoos are recognized by a warm brown tint to their plumage.

Fallow

The fallow cockatoo made its first appearance in Florida in 1971. Fallow birds have red eyes and a grayish-yellow body coloration that distinguishes them from cinnamon. Color depth varies and males are darker than chickens.

Dominant silver

Dominant silver is the most recent cockatiel mutation and emerged from the UK. The first recorded was seen in a pet store in 1979. This mutation developed most successfully with careful inbreeding.

Pearl

The pearl cockatoo was first bred in 1967 in West Germany. These cockatoos have white markings on their back and wings in various patterns. Some are whiter than others. The markings are often scalloped and look like lace patterns on the cockatoo’s back.

Lutino

The lutino cockatoo is the most popular cockatoo mutation. The lutino originated in 1958 with a Florida breeder. The first lutinos sold for a fortune, but today they are almost as common as grays. Lutino often used to be referred to as albino, until the true albino emerged, which was pure white with no yellow coloration. A genetic defect associated with lutino is a bald patch on the top of your head. Breeders should not pair them, or baldness will become widespread among their breeding cockatoos.

Foot

The feet are the oldest mutations of cockatoos. They were bred in California as early as 1949. These cockatoos have a mix of light and dark feathers. The variations are endless here, with the lightest mutations being the most attractive.

Recessive silver

These cockatoos were first recorded in New Zealand in the early 1950s, but this strain was not established until the 1960s. The coloration of the eyes is red, and this is what distinguishes them from the dominant silver. In previous mutations, there was a blindness problem that has since been overcome, but this type of species is still rare.

White face

This mutation was first recorded in the Netherlands in 1969. The yellow and orange faces are absent in this mutation, and this mutation paved the way for the albino mutation. Many different mutations of the white-faced cockatoo have emerged, including the pearl and cinnamon forms.

Albino

This is the newest and most treasured variation. They are pure white in color and are proving very popular.

Other variations

Other variations have been recorded from time to time over the years, but none have been established. The next achievement will be a totally black cockatoo. Whatever happens, the popularity of keeping cockatoos will only continue to grow in the future.

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