Gouldian Finch

GOULDIAN FINCH
ERYTHRURA GOULDIAE

MODIFICATIONS

PIED

© J.Watson

This bird is a female.
The picture clearly shows the pastel green colour of the Single Factor Pastel Green male and, at the same time, the yellow colour of a female. Her parents were a Red Head Single Factor Pastel Green cock and a Black Head Green hen.

During her first breeding season, she was mated to a normal male and produced Single Factor Pastel Green males, normal Green males and one female.

The second season, when mated to one of her Single Factor Pastel Green sons, she again produced Single Factor Pastel Green males, Double Factor Pastel Green males, normal males and one normal female.

The normal female from her first year was mated to her Single Factor Pastel Green brother and they also produced as expected - nothing unusual and certainly no Pied birds.

It is the belief of the owner that the Pied hen was actually carrying two male genes - one normal green and one pastel green - and one female gene as opposed to one of each as would be expected.
This anomaly would explain the Single Factor Pastel Green and normal Green cocks, and also the fact that her ratio of male offspring was much higher than expected.

Unfortunately we will never know for sure because the bird died in the meantime.
Her offspring still survive and maybe it's possible to produce more pied birds.

In the following picture we see a Pied male.
Nothing is known about his heredity for the moment.

© D. Van den Abeele

Some more photos of this Pied Gouldian.

The bird in the next photo is also a Pied Gouldian but at the same time he is a “Half-Sider”.

The father is RH WB SF P GR
and the mother YH GR / WB

He has been paired to a green female but fertilization gave some problems.
Only 8 eggs were fertilized and only one female stayed alive.

This normal green juvenile will be paired to her father next season.

Another pied ...
In the second photo you can see hem with his two brothers.