Whitewing Blues and Yellow-wing Greens
The Clearwing Mutation

Malcolm Freemantle

To find the origin of the Clearwing we have to look back over 60 years to find out where they were first bred. The credit for establishing the mutation goes to one Harold Pier from Sydney, Australia. Bred out of Greywings which were predominate in his aviaries, they produced a budgerigar which was to be one of the most beautiful of all the varieties that we see on the show bench today.

The original Clearwings did not have the great contrast of wing and body colour that later selective breeding was to produce, but when we look at some of the more recent mutations that are now well established, we can see it is only after several years of breeding with the new varieties, that a firm standard has been set and we only hope that not too much of the original gets lost on the way.

Fortunately the Clearwing improved and if the BS standard had not seen the emphasis put on size, we would still see the clean-winged, deep body-coloured bird that it was intended to be on the show bench in Britain. The Australian fancier is still showing purely for colour and some near perfect specimens can be seen at their shows, whereas in this country the quest for size is continuous, but from time to time we get the combination of the two and they are well worth waiting for.

There is now a major move by many breeders to put more emphasis on colour contrast; the BS have given the fancy the opportunity to try and achieve the ideal Clearwing by separating the points for wing clarity and body colour and at the same time, reducing the number of points allocated for body size and type. It is now up to each Clearwing exhibitor to bench only the finest of his birds excelling in clarity of wing and deep body colour as seen in the Normal varieties. If we continue to show our best Clearwing, nearest to the ideal, we will not give the judge the excuse to award the first prize to the big heavily-marked Whitewing or Yellow-wing lacking in body colour.

Selective pairings over the years have told us the best way to achieve good contrast is to use Dilutes as one of the partners, i.e., Yellows and Whites bred out of Clearwings. They hold the key to success and some of your pairings should include a Dilute if you wish to succeed with this mutation.

Fanciers seeking to improve their stock, can usually purchase a quality White or Yellow from a leading Clearwing stud more easily than they can buy a top Clearwing, and at a reasonable price too. This is because the breeders will not want to keep too many of the Dilute variety when they are seeking to specialise in Whitewings and Yellow-wings, after all, most of us have limited space available and this would be a waste and costly as well.

Although the Clearwing is dominant in breeding to a Dilute, what is usually found is that the Clearwing is already split for White or Yellow and when they are paired together a number of Dilutes appear. Therefore, it is also important that the over-use of this variety does not take place or you will find the offspring will have a poor body colour and pale cheek flash, which is nearly as difficult to rectify as the heavily-marked bird.

When the Clearwing Budgerigar Breeder's Association was formed in 1963, one of the prime objectives was to have separate classes for the variety and to get away from the border-line bird which did not reach the desired standard, e.g., those that had Cinnamon or Opaline in their visual make-up, as well as the Clearwing which had been continuously outcrossed to another variety and had altered the characteristics of the mutation.

Today we see special classes put on for the Clearwing and the BS have made it mandatory where their patronage is allocated. In addition they have awarded Challenge Certificates to the Area and Championship status shows especially for the variety. At most of these shows the CBBA patronage is also on offer to members, which consists of rosettes, ribbons and awards of merit. They are worth points for each win and these go towards both the Exhibitor of the Year competition and membership of the Ton-up-Club. Cash prizes and medals are given to the winners in each of the sections for the competition, and membership of the club is available when you reach 50 points.

There has been a lack of any written publication on the Clearwing since it was first established, and in 1994 I completed a book dealing solely with the Whitewing and Yellow-wing and their associated varieties. The book is a completely comprehensive guide to breeding Yellow-wings and Whitewings and whether you are a beginner or experienced fancier, the book will answer your most searching questions on breeding for quality and colour. The book can be obtained from the CBBA and details are given on the CBBA page together with information about the Club.

I wish you good luck in your pursuit of excellence in breeding this beautiful variety.

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Whitewing Blues and Yellow-wing Greens The Clearwing Mutation

Whitewing Blues and Yellow-wing Greens
The Clearwing Mutation