Gwyn Evans could have been writing about me when he suggested
that most newcomers to the fancy join because they have been attracted by "the
pretty coloured budgerigars they have seen somewhere" (BW March 1998).
A picture of a Violet Whitewing took my eye and I've been dedicated to breeding
them for the last fifteen years. Malcolm Freemantle started his article "Breeding
Violet Whitewings for Exhibition" (Budgerigar World May 1998), with
the words "Whitewings are the most colourful of the Clearwing variety with
the Whitewing Violet standing out from the rest, as far as colour and contrast
is concerned". This is probably why I'm still trying to produce the best
example ever of the variety.
Malcolm also wrote that the combination of the three points that
go to make up the variety, i.e. body colour, wing clarity and size, mean that
it is difficult to breed good examples. As Clearwings are recessive to all other
varieties except Dilute, improving their qualities as budgerigars is a life's
work. Some of you reading this will not be interested in size at present as
you are breeding for your own pleasure and dispose of your surplus stock to
the pet market. This means that your task, while not easy, will not be as difficult
as that of the dedicated exhibitor. However, many of today's exhibitors started
in this way, and it is worth pointing out that you cannot improve pet birds
up to exhibition quality, and you will have to buy new stock if you later change
your direction. It would be cheaper in the long term (and perhaps even in the
short) to buy initially the lesser birds of an experienced and knowledgeable
breeder rather than pet type birds.
This article will give general guidance on starting up in the
variety, how to manage the various factors in its make up and then to give
advice on developing and improving your birds. There aren't many mistakes
I haven't made and hopefully the article might help you to avoid them and
get you to the point where you're breeding successfully in a shorter time
than it took me, and with less heartache. I hope all breeders of Clearwings
will find something of interest, even if only to find fault with what I write.
I look forward to your suggestions!
I keep about ninety adult birds of which about one third are
Violet Whitewings. The remainder are a mixture of Violet Skyblues and Violet
Mauves, other non-Violet Whitewings, Yellow-wings (which are mostly split blue)
with some carrying the Violet factor, Whites (some Violet) and a few Yellows.
From these I can breed Violet Whitewings more or less as required. These are
from three nests and this is about my average from pairs put together to breed
them. I use the other colours and varieties to improve one or more qualities.
Restricting the numbers of birds you keep is difficult when you breeding complex
varieties. One may have a good head, another clear wings, another good body
colour and yet others may have some of the general budgerigar qualities required.
I probably keep too many birds for the number I breed each year (100+) but they
make a beautiful sight in the flight and that's a good enough reason.
Very often the first purchase of a Violet Whitewing is from a
pet shop or garden centre where the buyer was first attracted to the variety.
If you are new to budgerigars this can give problems, in that you will have
to learn all about budgerigar management (which is outside the scope of this
article) at the same time as getting to grips with the apparently complex rules
of inheritance which apply to this variety. If this is the case then don't despair,
just be prepared for difficulties, read all you can and try to find someone
local who can help you. Your local Cage Bird Society will have someone who can
help with the budgerigar side and if they can't help with advice on Whitewings,
the Secretary of the Clearwing Budgerigar Breeders Association (CBBA) should
be able to refer you to your nearest Clearwing breeder . Whatever you do, don't
flounder about in the dark and get discouraged when there are so many helpful
breeders around if you know where to ask.
A further word of advice - don't try to reinvent the wheel by
starting with a Clearwing and a Violet Normal or other variety - it just takes
too long to achieve a basic breeding team that will produce results good enough
to keep you interested. I wasted a few years by doing my own thing - I learnt
a lot in the process, but now know that I could have made much quicker progress.
There are many Clearwing breeders around the country and more than two hundred
of them belong to the CBBA. Some of them will have done a lot of the hard work
for you so why not start from the advantage of their experience and develop
their results to even higher levels?
If you have already bought some birds, try and find out who bred
them and what they were bred from and the factors and qualities they might be
carrying, as these will give you an idea of what to expect from selected pairings
using the examples etc., below. Given the choice, I wouldn't now start from
here! The first thing I'd suggest (with the wisdom of hindsight) is that you
visit at least one Championship Show to see what is being bred and exhibited
by the top breeders. Even if you are breeding just for enjoyment you should
know what a Violet Whitewing looks like! And if you breed a surplus you will
be able to dispose of them to a wider and more lucrative market if they conform
to the basic standard.
The above qualities and faults are extracts from The Budgerigar
Society Colour Standards and Guidelines for Judges and Exhibitors.
Then try and fix a picture in your mind of the bird you would
eventually like to breed. I often refer to the picture of John Monks' Young
Bird CC winner at the 1993 Club Show published in "The Budgerigar"
and Dave Guppy's Yellow-wing hen pictured in BW of May 1998 has given
me a new image for head quality.
Follow this by a visit to at least one Clearwing breeder to
find out what is available rather than being exhibited - unless you're very
lucky they won't be the same things! Having found someone willing to sell,
what you buy will depend to a certain extent on what you are prepared to pay,
and this in turn will depend upon whether you will be breeding with a view
to exhibiting or purely for your own pleasure. In the latter case you might
be able to get at a reasonable price a lower quality budgerigar which is,
nevertheless, an attractive Clearwing in all other respects. I must point
out though that high quality Violet Whitewings are difficult to breed and
will probably be priced accordingly - if available at all - so you'll have
to breed your own!
Whatever you buy, obtain a pedigree if possible, as this will
be invaluable later when trying to build related and separate lines. Take
the advice of the breeder about pairings as only the breeder will know the
hidden history of the birds and their parents and this will determine the
likelihood of the pairing being a success. Another good reason for following
the breeder's advice is that you stand more chance of a successful outcome
by breeding together birds from the same stud, than by randomly pairing birds
from different sources or lines.
If breeders seem unwilling to state that birds are pure Clearwings
(often described as "double factor Clearwings"), i.e., not split
for Dilute, it's because they cannot be certain and not because they are trying
to con you. This is because a lot of (most?) Clearwings are split for Dilute
(often referred to in Whitewings as "split for White" or as a "single
factor Clearwing", and written as "/Dilute" or "/White"
or "1F") and these are no different visually to those that are not
split. See the paragraph below on Whitewing and Whitewing x White inheritance
1. You should try to obtain at least one Whitewing Violet Cobalt. Any budgerigar
can carry the Violet factor but it is only when combined with the colour
Cobalt that it becomes visually self-evident and thus guaranteed to be carrying
the Violet you need.
2. Do not buy Violet to breed with Violet initially as this combination
can cause problems for the inexperienced and some of the results may be
disappointing. One hen was bred from Whitewing Violet Cobalt x Whitewing
Violet Skyblue and although the body colour was excellent the wings were
awful.
3. Buy all Whitewings if they are available - they will give less wastage
and the surplus young will be easier to dispose of. Whitewing Skyblues and
Cobalts are the most useful to breed with the Violets, you can always breed
your own Mauves if the fancy takes you. You may be offered a White claimed
to be a Whitewing, as a White with strong body colour can look like a Whitewing
with poor body colour. The tell-tale sign is the depth of colour of the
cheek patches. The cheek patch of a White is paler than that of a Whitewing
although it sometimes isn't quite as evident, particularly when you haven't
both varieties available to compare. That's not to say that you shouldn't
buy Whites, just that you should know them for what they are (see 6 below).
4. The Whitewings you buy should have the clearest white wings that you
can get. Experienced breeders can put two dirty winged birds together for
a particular purpose and get some clear winged offspring because they know
some of the hidden qualities that the birds are carrying. But even they
are not always successful and I have a nest-box containing six dirty-winged
youngsters to prove it! Many fanciers desert Clearwings due to their disappointment
with the clarity of the wings of the birds they breed. The general rule
is that you can't clean up wings without at least one bird with clear wings
although clarity of wing can be bred.
5. Try to buy Whitewings with a solid body colour. Many of today's birds
are "washed out" and show a fading of body colour from the mask
downward and/or a patchy colour with white showing through the blue (yellow
through the green in Yellow-wings). Pairing together two birds with poor
body colour is unlikely to produce birds with good body colour.
6. Whites are very useful if Whitewings aren't available, as White is
recessive to Clearwing - the only variety that is. This means that you can
breed Whitewings directly from a Whitewing x White pairing. Unless you are
experienced I suggest that you only use Whites bred from Whitewings (see
7 below). Another reason for using them is that Whites bred this way are
often better budgerigars than their Whitewing nestmates. Look particularly
for Violet Cobalt Whites and Whites that show desirable qualities such as
clarity of wing, size, good head etc. but avoid those that have a very pale
body colour. There is some debate about the diluting effect on body colour
caused by the use of Whites. It is my opinion (formed by long observation)
that provided the White has a solid body colour with good depth of colour
(for a White), there will be no dilution. The effect of Whites on the depth
of colour of cheek patches and tail is also the subject of ongoing debate.
Using any non-Whitewings can produce a "wastage" problem.
7. Do not buy Whites bred from Normals or other varieties, unless you
are experienced enough to deal with the problems they can bring. They may
produce dirty wings and can be carrying hidden factors such as cinnamon
and opaline which are to be avoided unless you're intending to breed Opaline
Whitewings, Rainbows or Cinnamon Whitewings. Cinnamon is an insidious factor
in that many Cinnamon Clearwings that are produced have clear wings and
a body colour not too different from that of some of the Clearwings seen
around. Unless you're careful you could breed from them and then suddenly
be shocked when you show them and/or their offspring for the first time
and are "wrong-classed" as they should not be shown in Clearwing
classes. Having said that, Cinnamon Violet Whitewings are very pretty birds
if they're what you intend to breed.
8. Try to avoid Normals split for Whitewing for the same reasons. Normals
split for Whitewing are usually produced to remedy some exhibition type
budgerigar quality and wing clarity in particular might suffer for a few
generations.
9. Ignore the advice given in BW March 1998 regarding pairing Normals
to Clearwings unless you have enough experience to appreciate most (of the
many) problems that can be encountered and are prepared to accept them.
The disappointments you could experience might mean that you dump the Clearwings
and finish up breeding the Normals. The potential for disaster is great!
10. Good examples of Yellow-wings split Blue might be easier to obtain
than Whitewings and can be very useful, but, except for pairing 7 below,
can reduce the proportion of Violet Whitewings bred.
11. Avoid obtaining Greywings to breed with Whitewings even though they
are closely related and an attractive combination can be bred from this
pairing. For those not familiar with the varieties, Greywings are not Whitewings
with dirty wings but a distinct variety. The body colour is lighter, the
cheek patches paler and the wings have the even markings of a Normal but
with grey replacing black.
12. Avoid Grey as a colour until you are experienced with Clearwings as
they can introduce a whole series of problems you can well do without.
It may seem obvious, but to start breeding Violet Whitewings you need
Whitewings and one of them must be carrying the Violet factor. There are
many pairings that may give you none, one, some, or even all, chicks with
both the body colour and wings required and Malcolm Freemantle's book "The
Art of Breeding Clearwings" (obtainable from the CBBA), is essential
reading in this respect. However I'm starting from what might be available
rather than desirable and will only give in detail some of the pairings
that you might use.
Without going deeply into genetics, there are a few basic patterns of
inheritance that you should be aware of as they are of great importance
in the breeding of the Whitewing - Violet - Cobalt
Whitewings and Yellow-wings are both Clearwings and share the same pattern
of inheritance. I am using "2F" and "1F" (double factor
and single factor) as these terms are used in other publications (and not
just to confuse you!)
| Whitewing (2F) x Whitewing (2F) | 100% Whitewing (2F) |
| Whitewing (2F) x Whitewing (1F) | 50% Whitewing (2F) + 50% Whitewing (1F) |
| Whitewing (1F) x Whitewing (1F) | 25% Whitewing (2F)50% Whitewing (1F)= + 25% White |
| Whitewing (2F) x White | 100% Whitewing (1F) |
| Whitewing (1F) x White | 50% Whitewing (1F) + 50% White |
Double factor Whitewings (2F) cannot be visually distinguished from single
factor Whitewings (1F). If a pair produce no Whites in a couple of rounds
you may reasonably assume that one or both are 2F Whitewings, but not which
one if only one is 2F!
The same pattern will apply if you breed Yellow-wings or breed Whitewings
with Yellow-wings. The differences will be in colour only.
The Violet factor is not a colour but a factor that modifies colour. Budgerigars
of all colours and varieties can be carrying the Violet factor but it is
only when the bird is Cobalt in colour that the factor modifies the colour
to produce the desired Violet Cobalt body colour. The Violet factor is dominant
which means that no bird can be split for Violet - but that doesn't mean
you can always see that it is being carried by a colour other than Cobalt.
A description of the appearance of birds carrying the factor is attempted
below.
| Violet x Violet | 100% Violet (including some double factor) |
| Double factor Violet x non-Violet | 100% Violet |
| Violet x non-Violet | 50%Violet + 50% non-Violet |
As mentioned previously I do not advise the inexperienced to breed Violet to
Violet because of the problems that can result. If you do and produce a bird
with dirty wings and which is strongly Violet in appearance you might have bred
a double factor Violet .
I am including only pairings that will give a reasonable chance of producing
Cobalts.
| Skyblue x Cobalt |
50% Skyblue+ 50% Cobalt |
| Skyblue x Mauve | 100% Cobalt |
| Cobalt x Cobalt | 25% Skyblue + 50% Cobalt + 25% Mauve |
| Cobalt x Mauve | 50% Cobalt + 50% Mauve |
| Light Green/Blue x cobalt | 25% Skyblue + 25% Cobalt + 25% Light Green/Blue + 25% Dark Green/Blue Type II |
| Light Green/Blue x Mauve | 50% Cobalt + 50% Dark Green/Blue Type II |
| Dark Green/Blue Type I x Cobalt | 21% Skyblue + 25% Cobalt + 21% Dark Green/Blue II + 21% Olive Green/Blue + very small % of others. |
| Dark Green/Blue Type I x Mauve | 42% Cobalt + 42% Olive Green/Blue + small % of others |
| Dark Green/Blue Type II x Skyblue | 42% Cobalt + 42% Light Green/Blue + small % of others |
| Dark Green/Blue Type II x Cobalt | 25% Cobalt + 21% Mauve + 21% Light Green/Blue + 21% Dark Green/Blue Type II + very small % of others |
Whenever I am trying to predict the outcome of a pairing I think of the three
factors separately. To estimate the chance of a Violet Cobalt Whitewing, first
work out the colours likely to be produced and thus the chance of Cobalt. Then
estimate the chance of it being a Whitewing and finally the chance of it being
Violet. As an example using pairing 5 below
| Colour | Cobalt x Skyblue | 50% Cobalt (½) |
| Whitewing | Whitewing/Dilute x Dilute | 50% Whitewing (1F) (½) |
| Violet | Violet x non-Violet | 50% Violet (½) |
50% of each of three factors gives ½ x ½ x ½ = 1/8 or 12½%.
You will see this factor referred to in the literature and it refers to the
inheritance the shade of colour in terms of the Dark factors carried and ignores
the actual colours involved. It could equally well have been explained in terms
of "Light", "Medium" and "Dark".
You will see this pattern in the colour inheritance paragraph above. Like many
other basic rules, once understood they become second nature and are seldom
thought of as such.
Below are a few suggested pairings of birds, some of which you will not be able to obtain and some from those that you are most likely to be able to buy. Some of the examples are a little over-simplified but should give you the idea of how to predict the outcome of the pairings and the theoretical percentage of Whitewing Violet Cobalt you might expect.. The examples aren't meant to be learnt - there is no exam at the end - but are given as a guide for when you are buying or thinking of pairing up. The figures are long-run averages, and in the short term you can do better or worse than the average. I currently have a nest-box containing five Skyblues and one Cobalt when theoretically there should have been three of each. Sometimes chance works to your advantage and gives you a nest full of Whitewings but the downside is that the next nest could be full of Whites.
A pairing that will guarantee 100% Whitewing Violet Cobalt is
Violet Skyblue Whitewing (2F or 1F) x Violet Mauve Whitewing (1F or 2F)
The chances of you being able to purchase such birds are highly remote, even
if you could recognize them if you saw them. If and when you breed such birds
and know them for what they are, you won't need my advice on breeding Violet
Whitewings and so I'm not including these in my suggestions.
The pairings below are of colours that you might well find available.
1. Whitewing Violet Cobalt (2F) x Whitewing Skyblue (2F) should give:
25% Whitewing Skyblue (2F)
25% Whitewing Cobalt (2F)
25% Whitewing Violet Skyblue (2F)
25% Whitewing Violet Cobalt (2F)
You can see from the above that, on average, this desirable pairing only produces
one in four of what you want. If you obtain these results, with no whites, you
can assume that at least one of the birds claimed to be a pure Whitewing (2F)
is just that - but there is no proof they both are!.
If one of the birds is split for White (1F), the outcome is the same visually
but half of the birds will be /White (1F). This is important to know when later
pairing up the youngsters but you won't be able to tell which are split White
or aren't until you pair them! Once again, if you produce no Whites you can
assume one of the birds may be pure Whitewing (2F).
2. Whitewing Violet Cobalt/White x Whitewing Skyblue/White (both 1F)
6¼% Whitewing Skyblue 2F 121/2% Whitewing Skyblue 1F
6¼% Whitewing Cobalt 2F 121/2% Whitewing Cobalt 1F
6¼% Whitewing Violet Skyblue 2F 121/2% Whitewing Violet Skyblue 1F
6¼% Whitewing Violet Cobalt 2F 121/2% Whitewing Violet Cobalt 1F
6¼% White Skyblue
6¼% White Cobalt
6¼% White Violet Skyblue
6¼% White Violet Cobalt
From this very common pairing you will get, on average, 1 in 5 of what you
are trying for and once again you won't be able to tell which are split and
which aren't.
3. Whitewing Violet Cobalt 2F x White Skyblue
25% Whitewing Skyblue/White 1F
25% Whitewing Cobalt/White 1F
25% Whitewing Violet Skyblue/White 1F
25% Whitewing Violet Cobalt/White 1F
If you are lucky enough to obtain or breed a 2F Whitewing, it is very useful
for pairing to Whites with qualities you need. This pairing produces 1 in 4
Violet Whitewings. If the White happens to be a Violet Cobalt , you will expect
all Violets and half of them Cobalt - a good pairing if the birds are right.
4. Whitewing Violet Cobalt/White 1F x White Skyblue
12½% Whitewing Skyblue/White 1F 121/2% White Skyblue
12½% Whitewing Cobalt/White 1F 121/2% White Cobalt
12½% Whitewing Violet Skyblue/White 1F 121/2% White Violet Skyblue
12½% Whitewing Violet Cobalt/White 1F 121/2% White Violet Cobalt
This pairing only produces 1 in 8 but I have used it when both birds had particular
qualities I was trying to develop, and Violet Whites can be useful).
5. Yellow-wing Light Green/Blue (2F) x Whitewing Violet Cobalt (2F)
12½% Yellow-wing Light Green/Blue
12½% Violet Yellow-wing Light Green/Blue
12½% Whitewing Skyblue
12½% Violet Whitewing Skyblue
12½% Yellow-wing Dark Green/Blue Type II
12½% Violet Yellow-wing Dark Green/Blue Type II
12½% Whitewing Cobalt
12½% Whitewing Violet Cobalt
This pairing also produces 1 in 8, and if both birds are split for White (1F)
this is reduced even further. However, this pairing produces the very useful
Violet Yellow-wing Dark Green/Blue Type II that is recognizable in the nest-box
of the above pairing because it appears to be an Olive - but this is impossible
from the pairing. It may also have a blue/violet wash to its flue feathers.
6. Yellow-wing Violet Dark Green/BlueII (2F) x Whitewing Skyblue (2F)
21% Yellow-wing Light Green/Blue
21% Yellow-wing Violet Light Green/Blue
21% Whitewing Cobalt
21% Whitewing Violet Cobalt
Plus other bits and pieces to make up the numbers..
This pairing is very useful giving as it does 1 in 5 Whitewing Violet Cobalts
but you need to ensure that the Dark/Green/Blue is Type II, i.e., the dark factor
was inherited from the Blue parent (the Cobalt). If the dark factor is inherited
from the Green Parent, (the Dark Green), and is thus a Dark Green/Blue Type
I, then the outcome is completely different and not worth bothering with for
this purpose. So you have to be sure of the parentage of your Dark Green/Blues
- breed them yourself or place your trust in your supplier! A Whitewing/Dilute
(1F) will produce the same visual outcome but when both parents are split the
outcome will be halved, i.e., only 1 in 10.
I have used just about every combination that produces Violet Whitewings and
my favourite is the one which produces the best Violet Whitewing, and that could
be from any combination! Perhaps the best to produce the greatest number and
which may be available is
Whitewing Violet Cobalt x Whitewing Cobalt
Some of the most beautiful birds I have bred, with a deep Violet body colour
and very clear wings, came from the pairing
Whitewing Violet Cobalt x Violet Cobalt White
The offspring of this pairing however has never produced in turn offspring
as good looking as themselves and I suspect that they never will. Perhaps this
pairing should be reserved to produce birds that you are going to show, sell
or just look at for their beauty!
Malcolm Freemantle wrote about the difficulties inherent in improving this variety, and I suggest that two of the most important qualities you will need are patience and "stickability". It is no coincidence that those winning awards at Championship shows have bred Clearwings for many years and concentrate mainly on this variety, sometimes to the exclusion of all others (where have I heard that before?). If you're looking for a quick solution to winning on the show bench you've picked the wrong variety - there's no such thing as shoving "best to best" in a cage and then sorting out into which class you're going to show the youngsters. Even Champions with a reputation for improving the standard of other recessive varieties have decided not to try the same with Clearwings because of the difficulties involved. Probably the strongest indication of the difficulties involved, is that you do not see in this variety those described by Gwyn Evans as the "win at all costs" and "short stay" fanciers. From my point of view it is the almost infinite potential for improvement that is the great attraction - the journey being far more interesting than arrival.
Try to establish your own lines initially. That way you will become familiar with the hidden qualities in your birds, and by giving careful thought to pairings you should be able to fix some of the better qualities you observe, and be able to predict the outcome with some degree of certainty. You may be able to make good improvements over time from within your own stock. However, if you are deficient in certain qualities then you might well have to obtain an outcross. If the original supplier of your birds has something that is strong in the qualities you're short of, and which appears to have no bad qualities that might set you back, I suggest you stand a better chance of improvement with this than if you go to another source. It's very tempting to try and accumulate attractive birds from various sources but the chances of a good result from these are far less than with birds that come from the same lines. Having said that, there comes a point when no improvement is made and then you have to go elsewhere. When you do you might well find that no progress is made for a time until the qualities from both lines start to gel. One way around this problem, if you have the space, is to keep distinct lines of your own and only cross them when the better qualities of one are required in the other.
The priority you give to the development and improvement of the various factors
that go to make up the Violet Cobalt Clearwing will be personal and will depend
on, for example, whether you are breeding purely for pleasure or for exhibiting.
Colour and clarity of wing will be the principle concerns of the former, while
the showman will have to consider the bird as an exhibition type budgerigar
as well. It is important that you set priorities so that you only keep those
youngsters that can make an improvement in their turn. With so many factors
combined you can get swamped by birds which, although perhaps are as good as
their parents, offer no prospect for improvement.
If a sufficient number of birds with the required wing clarity are held, then the next priority should be to improve body colour. The solidity and depth of colour of a bird is an essential element of the contrast that is a basic requirement of the variety. I keep one or two Normals these days to remind me of the ideal body colour - it's very easy to gradually lose body colour over time in the constant quest for clearer wings. Never pair together two birds with pale or patchy colour and try to use at least one bird carrying the dark factor in pairings e.g., Skyblue and Cobalt or Skyblue and Mauve. "Dipping in the Green" is a term used to describe the technique of using greens to improve the colour of blues and a Yellow-wing with excellent body colour might well achieve this effect. However it is possible to breed Whitewings with intense body colour from birds that have never seen a green! Certainly use a Yellow-wing cross to improve colour, but only if it offers a greater solidity and depth of colour and perhaps an extra brightness than is carried by your blues.
Try to concentrate on improving one feature at a time as if you try more than one you could find that you have achieved an improvement in one but a deterioration in one or more others. If you keep more than one line you can develop wing clarity and body colour simultaneously and if you have a bird that excels in both qualities so much the better - put it to everything you can as often as you can!
Deliberately setting out to improve the many and various factors that go to
make up an exhibition budgerigar in a Violet Whitewing is an extremely difficult
long-term project. So many of the factors clash! Recessive varieties tend to
be smaller than dominant ones and blues tend to be smaller than greens. The
violet and dark factors both tend to reduce size. Buff feathering is admired
in exhibition birds and is responsible for some of their size, but kills the
body colour in Clearwings. Progress can be made by selective breeding but improving
head, mask, size, feather etc., is limited by the qualities your birds possess.
Eventually you will have to acquire those qualities your birds are lacking.
Just what you obtain depends to a certain extent on how far advanced your birds
are. If you are, for example, a regularly exhibiting Champion, you already know
that further improvement by selective breeding is usually by very small increments.
Any noticeable change can probably only be achieved by using perhaps a top quality
Normal hen or a Dilute hen bred from Normals, and then coping with the problems
that arise (hens cannot be split for unwanted sex-linked factors). You may also
be lucky!
If you are not at the top of the tree then there is still probably a lot of
scope for improving your birds as budgerigars by obtaining Clearwings with some
better features than those possessed by your own. You may not be able to get
the colours you want but getting the desired qualities is the important step,
the interesting task of breeding them into your lines is up to you. While it
is difficult, if not impossible, to buy top show birds, related birds are often
available and these can be the source of the improvement you're seeking. Don't
be put off by appearances, as a dirty scruffy bird may be carrying hidden qualities
and at this stage blood is more important then good looks! Decide on the qualities
you're after be they head, mask, feather or whatever and concentrate on them
- using them and producing better attractive Clearwings is again down to you.
I was once given just such a dirty scruffy bird that was also a "runner".
I won't embarrass the breeder who gave it to me (but it was from the family
of the winner of the Yellow-wing CC at the 1993 Club Show). It only sired a
couple of youngsters but from those I developed a line that now produces some
of my best birds and is also very fertile - there's a whole story in this bird
and his offspring but that's for another day.
It's difficult to believe when you're start beavering away trying to produce
one or two Violet Whitewings that it is possible to have too many of them! When
you have plenty of Violet Whitewings but also a lot of Whitewings that are either
Cobalt or Violet Skyblues and you can't tell the difference between them you
might have reached this point. Other indications are that many of your Whitewings
may have dirty wings and/or you may have a lot of Whitewing Mauves and few (if
any) Whitewing Skyblues.
I believe that you must keep a balance between violet and non-violet, and
dark factor and non-dark. It's also possible to have too many Whites and, if
you use Yellow-wings, your Blues can soon be swamped by them and Yellows. Keeping
a balance requires constant management and review to prevent one or more of
the factors and/or varieties subsidiary to the main Violet Whitewing becoming
dominant.
Having given the bad news, the good news is that I still get great delight when I see the first hint of Violet peeping through in the first breaking tail feathers, and then again when the wing and flight feathers as they develop are of unmarked white. As the Americans would say, I'm pleased to have shared this with you!
Original text Copyright © 1998 John Evans
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