Gouldian Finch - Australian Yellow

GOULDIAN FINCH
ERYTHRURA GOULDIAE

MUTATIONS

AUSTRALIAN YELLOW
AY

© K. Graham

Ancient name: Australian White Breasted Yellow
Australian Recessive Yellow

The Australian Yellow is a mutation that apparently only appears in Australia.

© M.Rosenberg

In the sixties this mutation was also available in Holland but it appears to have been lost as all the birds were used in the production of the pastels.

Below is a picture of these mutated birds from the sixties.

It only exists in a combination of yellow back together with white breast and appears in the read-headed and the orange-headed gouldian.
The genetic Black Head gouldian shows a light yellow coloured head.

Many Australian Yellows have spots in their plumage but sometimes they are almost totally white.
These spots vary in number from bird to bird, but as they become older the spots disappear.
Light traces can remain in some birds.

© M.Rosenberg

© M.Rosenberg

You can see in the above pictures the same Australian Yellow young Gouldian Finch.
One side view, one front view and the other with his/her father.
The mother is also a Red Head Green bird.

In this picture you can see a Black Head Australian Yellow female.
It gives a good view of the heavy variegation that you sometimes get with this mutation, while others are a clean yellow.
You can enhance or remove this variegation with selective breeding.

Here we have a very nice Yellow Head Australian Yellow male.

© K. Graham
In this picture we have a juvenile.


© S. Wells Australian Yellow juvenile	© E. Otway Australian Yellow chick about 7 days old. Note the white nodules on the side of the beak which are normally blue in other gouldians.


© E. Otway Last year baby.	© E. Otway Split for Australian Yellow with small head spots.

© S. Wells
Two photos of a split to Australian Yellow hen showing the two commonly seen signs of being "split" - being yellow on the back of the neck and a white bib under the chin.
Both markings are quite prominent on this bird but not always visible in other "splits".