In the world of budgerigars, there are several species of parakeets and one of which is a fallow budgie. It is a particular genetic mutation that affects the bird’s appearance in several ways.
Specifically, the fallow mutation reduces the amount of black eumelanin pigments in the bird’s body and eyes. As a result, the budgie’s eyes take on a distinctive reddish hue, which is why the fallow variety is sometimes referred to as a “redeye.”
In addition to the change in eye color, fallow budgies also often exhibit other physical traits that set them apart from their non-mutated counterparts. For example, they have a white iris ring around their eyes, which further emphasizes the bright red color.
They may also have brown markings on their feathers, which can create a unique and striking appearance.
How to Identify a Fallow Budgie?
Budgie breeders typically use several physical characteristics to identify a fallow budgie.
Fallow Budgie’s Eyes
One of the most noticeable changes caused by the mutation is the ruby red color of the bird’s eyes, which are often accompanied by a white iris ring.
Fallow Budgie’s Ceres
Additionally, male fallow budgies typically have pink ceres (the fleshy area above the beak), while females may have white or brown ceres.
Fallow Budgie’s Cheeks and Throat Markings
The cheeks of a fallow budgie may be a dark violet color, and they may have brown spots on their throat.
Fallow Budgie’s Body Color
Another distinguishing feature of fallow budgies is the color of their body. The mutation causes a reduction in black eumelanin pigments, which results in a washed-out appearance and a predominance of white-based colors.
Fallow Budgie’s Feet
The feet of fallow budgies are usually pink, and the rump area may be blue in blue-series birds or green/yellow in green-series birds.
Fallow Budgie’s Feathers and Tail
The flight feathers of fallow budgies typically have a medium brown color, while the tail may be bluish-grey with brown quills.
More Unique Fallow Features to identify
One key characteristic that is often used to identify fallow budgies is the presence of brown markings on their body and feathers. Unlike other budgies, they do not have any black or other markings on their body or feathers.
While the white iris ring is a common feature of fallow budgies, it is not always present, and different levels of black color reduction can lead to different features in different variations of the mutation, such as the absence of the white iris ring in Scottish fallows.
How Many Different Types of Fallow Budgies are There?
When black eumelanin pigments are reduced in the body of a fallow budgie, it can result in the emergence of various types of fallow budgies. These include,
- German Fallow Budgie
- English Fallow Budgie
- Scottish Fallow Budgie
- Japanese Fallow Budgie
- Pale Fallow Budgie
- Dun Fallow Budgie.
German Fallow Budgie
German fellow budgies will have deep ruby redeye like Ino but will have white iris rings. In young German fellow chicks, the eyes of fellows will have plum-colored eyes and will change to ruby redeye after their molts.
English Fallow Budgie
English fellow budgies have clear bright redeye without iris rings and have weaker body color than German fallow.
Scottish Fallow Budgie
Scottish fallow budgies are named after their country of origin they are very similar to the other fallow budgies mutation, they have the same redeye and have a very light iris ring in pink color.
Japanese Fallow Budgie
Japanese fallow budgies are autosomal recessive (a genetic trait from the parents to offspring) and have a redeye with the iris ring same as German fallow and have a yellow head.
Pale Fallow Budgie
As the name suggests, pale means a light color and in these types of budgies, their body markings will become very light because of the reduction of black eumelanin.
Dun Fallow Budgie
These are the very rarest mutation of fellow budgies they have a dark redeye without an iris ring and have dark scaling on their body and are the same as a normal budgie but will have a redeye.
Difference Between Fallow Budgies and Lacewing Budgies?
The key distinction between lacewing and fellow budgies is that fellow budgies are recessive, while lacewing budgies are sex-linked.
Other differences are the following,
Differences in Cheek and Throat Markings
Fellow budgies are characterized by a dark violet cheek patch and a brown throat spot, whereas lacewing budgies have a very light violet cheek patch and light throat spot.
Differences in Rump Area and Feather
The rump area of fellow budgies is blue in the blue series and green in the green series, and their flight feathers are dark brown in color. In contrast, lacewing budgies lack color in the rump area and have very light brown flight feathers.
Differences in Tail
Fellow budgies have a bluish-grey tail color and brown quills, whereas lacewing budgies only have light brown coloring with no other hues.
How to Breed Fallow Budgie?
As you may be aware, fallow budgies exhibit recessive traits, which is why breeders typically choose to mate a fallow budgie with another fallow budgie or a budgie that carries the fallow gene.
For instance, if two fallow budgies are paired together, their offspring will be 100% fallow. On the other hand, if a fallow budgie is paired with a budgie that carries the fallow gene, their offspring will consist of 50% fallow and 50% regular budgies, all of whom will carry the fallow gene.
Similarly, if two budgies that carry the fallow gene are paired together, their offspring will include 25% fallow budgies.
