Working Towards a Recessive White

Here is a group of my Dilute (Pastel) Ginger Bengalese that I am selectively breeding over time to develop a completely diluted or recessive white bird. Unfortunately as you can see I'm quite a long way off yet.




























The Recessive White can be identified by having a horne coloured beak and is often still called a Dilute Fawn by many, however I would think that it presents much more like a white bird than Fawn (Ginger). The two images below are not from Australia.

The more commonly known white is the Dark Eyed White (DEW) which is in Canary terms a Clear Pied or 100% Pied bird. The DEW has a pink beak and looks quite different to the Reccesive white due to the pied factor removing all pigment in the beak and legs.

Why do I want to breed a recessive white, because I believe it is the key to breeding a true Grey series Bengalese Mutation in Australia (which doesn't currently exist here).... but that discussion is for another day.  :-)


Final note;
I'm humbled to always see hits to this Blog continually, so sorry for being a bit light on the blog entries but a big thanks to all that aparently see enough value in my ramblings to return for futher visits.
Cheers and enjoy your Bengos!

Grey Self Bengalese 3

I still come across some nice photos of the Grey Mutation.
Grey is not a colour in itself but a colour modifier like the Dilute factor in Bengalese is a modifier, meaning that the Grey factor modifies existing colours such as Chocolate, Chestnut and Ginger by removing all of the Red/Brown pigment from the plumage, leaving only the Black/Grey elements.





Also in overseas Bengos like the Black/Brown Euro when affected by the Grey Factor becomes Black/Grey (right).












Just like the Dilute factor is available to us here in Australia, I also believe that the Grey Factor is available here in Australia, it simply has not been consciously developed.









I have Chocolates in my collection that display varying degrees of Red/Brown in there plumage and one in particular appears to me to look a bit washed out.



I would hope that through some selective breeding to remove the Red/Brown in a Bengalese we can achive this Grey Mutation here in Australia.

Grey Self Bengalese 2

The Grey Self Bengalese is named according to the parent bird that is underlying in the colour such as Chocolate, Chestnut and Ginger. The Grey mutation for these colours simply does not have the Red/Brown element present in the feathers.

 Chocolate Grey (Black Grey) Self

Chestnut Grey Self

Ginger Grey (Red/Brown Grey) Self

Heres a few more pics of some Grey Self Bengos from overseas

 

 

Dilute Ginger Grey Self

Chocolate Grey (Black Grey) Self

Grey Self Bengalese 1

There is a colour that we do not and have not had any reference to having in Australia, and that is the Grey mutation of the Bengalese Finch. The Grey mutation has only the black pigments out of the two Bengalese colour factors Black and Red/Brown. So hence the appropriate name the Grey. I look forward to seeing such a bird in the flesh one day in Australia.