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    Cockatiel Mutations: A Bounty of Color
    Cockatiel Mutations: A Bounty of Color
    Cockatiel Mutations: A Bounty of Color
    Ebook255 pages1 hour

    Cockatiel Mutations: A Bounty of Color

    By Susanne Russo

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    In the US there are 14 established mutations of the cockatiel, excluding the normal grey which is not a mutation. This book is your visual guide to the bounty of color and mutations that are available. Packed with over 175 collage images, this book is one of the definitive guides to cockatiel breeding and mutations available.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBookBaby
    Release dateSep 20, 2012
    ISBN9780987334794
    Cockatiel Mutations: A Bounty of Color

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      Book preview

      Cockatiel Mutations - Susanne Russo

      NEWLY UPDATED (2019)

      Written and Illustrated by

      Susanne Russo

      Truth and Consequence, NM

      Copyright © 2001-2019 Susanne Russo, all rights reserved.

      ISBN: 9780987334794

      No portion of this book may be reproduced or distributed without the permission of Susanne Russo. Feel free to email me: justcockatiels@hotmail.com

      Table of Contents

      SECTION 1 - WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

      INTRODUCTION

      DEDICATION

      CHAPTER 1 - COCKATIEL MUTATIONS COMMON TO THE UNITED STATES

      TIMELINE FOR COCKATIEL MUTATIONS IN THE U.S.

      MUTATION ABBREVIATIONS

      THE COLOR OF A COCKATIEL IS DERIVED FROM TWO PIGMENTS

      MUTATION GENES AND APPEARANCE

      MUTATIONS ARE INHERITED IN SEVERAL WAYS

      CHAPTER 2 - COLOR MUTATIONS OCCUR ON THREE ASPECTS OF A COCKATIEL

      SECTION 2 - SOLID COLOR VARIATIONS

      CHAPTER 3 - NORMAL GREY

      CHAPTER 4 - LUTINO

      CHAPTER 5 - CINNAMON

      CHAPTER 6 - RECESSIVE SILVER

      CHAPTER 7 - FALLOW

      CHAPTER 8 - DOMINANT SILVER

      CHAPTER 9 - EMERALD

      SECTION 3 - PATTERNS

      CHAPTER 10 - PIED

      CHAPTER 11 - PEARL

      SECTION 4 - FACIAL VARIATIONS

      CHAPTER 12 - WHITEFACE

      CHAPTER 13 - PASTELFACE

      CHAPTER 14 - SEX-LINKED YELLOW CHEEK

      CHAPTER 15 - DOMINANT YELLOW CHEEK

      CHAPTER 16 - GOLD CHEEK

      CHAPTER 17 - CREAMFACE

      SECTION 5 - ACQUIRED COLORS & COLOR ODDITIES

      CHAPTER 18 - ACQUIRED COLORS

      ORANGE FEATHERS

      PHOTO SENSITIVITY

      YELLOWING OF THE BODY PLUMAGE

      HOW TO AID/HELP A BIRD WITH LIVER PROBLEMS

      CHANGE IN EYE COLOR

      TRI-COLOR

      COLOR ODDITIES

      THRUST-CHESTED

      CHAPTER 19 - MUTATIONS FOUND IN AUSTRALIA

      SECTION 6 - THE COCKATIEL WORLD BEYOND THIS BOOK

      CHAPTER 20 - OTHER USEFUL WEBSITES

      USING THE STANDARD AS A GUIDELINE TO BREDDING FOR PROPORTIONATE BIRDS

      CREDITS AND SPECIAL THANKS

      SECTION 1 - Where it all begAN

      INTRODUCTION

      Welcome to the world of Cockatiel Mutations!

      My journey into cockatiels began with Boogs and Sweet Pea, shown above. I am going down memory lane now to way back in the fall of 1993. A person I was dating told me he had a friend that had to get rid of all of her birds and asked if I want any. NO WAY! I did not know anything about birds and cared less on learning about them. Well he got them and brought them to the house, to my displeasure. My two young daughters (which I think he coached them to do) started in: Mommy, pleeease! Can we keep them?

      The kids were supposed to take care of the birds, they quickly lost interest and so I wound up taking care of them. Then eggs started to appear. I thought, ‘Oh crap, what do I do?’ I got on the phone and learned that experienced breeders would not divulge any helpful info, and shop keepers just didn’t know anything, except to sell me a book.

      The book had a small chapter on breeding, but NO illustrations. I winged it with a cardboard box and shredded newspaper. After a few false starts (layed but did not sit) there were finally eggs, then babies. The book said not to interfere with the nest when they had babies. Back then, I was better at following advice rather than common sense. Common sense told me that this advice could lead to poor or fatal results, but this was from experienced and reputable people. When I finally pulled (term I learned from the book, which I later built a bonfire and burnt) the babies, after they started peeking out of the box, I noticed two babies had legs sticking out sideways. I went to a vet to find out what was wrong with the legs. I learned that this was spraddle leg, and it was too late to fix them.

      Another baby had strange speckled feathers and I thought it had a feather disorder or something. I raced to the pet shop to ask what was wrong with it. I will not describe her look, but she told me it was a Pearl. She asked what color the parents were and told me it was a girl and sold me 2 more books. We named the Pearl George. She generated my curiosity on learning about mutations. I was confused because the baby did not look like either parent and I wanted to learn why.

      This was in 1993, before there was the abundance of information available today about genetics and mutations. I bought several books to learn more. I read the information contained within the pages of the books to increase my knowledge. I joined cockatiel societies to read and learn more species-specific information about cockatiels. In addition, I diligently photographed and documented everything to use as a visual record for comparison. Most of this was from observation, which anyone can use as a starting off place with mutations.  For example: Usually the beak color will be similar to toenail color with most mutations, and variegated look would indicate a split. For example, Lutino and Pied will have bone (light or flesh) colored beak and nails. Cinnamon will have brown colored beak and nails. True normal and Dominant Silver will have black (or dark grey to charcoal) beak and nails. This could easily be seen by looking at the bird/mutation in person or online for consistency of specific trait per mutation. As time went by, I discovered the Internet, with mailings lists and forums exclusively about cockatiels.

      At the time, I was a single mother with two young daughters. I had always been self-employed and was experiencing burn out from my dollhouse miniature business. Since I already had Boogs and Sweet Pea I had the bright idea to get into breeding cockatiels professionally. I am a sink or swim type of person, thus when I decided to do something, I plunged right in. I sold off most of the inventory of my prior business to have the funds to purchase cockatiels. Within six (6) months I had about 150 cockatiels. In addition to the expense of the birds, I learned how to make my own cages, nestboxes and walk-in flights.

      I am working on a book titled the Survival Guide.  For more info: https://tinyurl.com/y4b2fwls During this time, I also learned that many of the long-time breeders were not willing to share their experiences of working with and breeding cockatiels. In retrospect, I later learned that few had info to share and knew less than me. Within six months most were asking me for help and advice.

      Aside from the Normal Grey, the ‘Fancy’ (term used at the time for non grey or color mutations) cockatiels were more expensive and harder to find. Those that did have a flock of color mutations wanted a premium price, or just would not sell to me. 

      The bulk of the cockatiels I had were Normal Greys. My first challenge was to visually determine the difference between a male and female. Once mastered, then I would pair them up. It was through actual breeding my cockatiels that taught me the knowledge I have today. The best lessons taught were the surprises they gave me in the nest. 

      NOTE: All the information as contained in this book, as previously mentioned but worth repeating, is my own observations and personal experiences. During my early years I took and saved thousands of photos for reference and comparison.  This was very helpful because I would take photos of birds from first feather to four years old.  This taught me

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