Parrot mutations can be seen in the bird’s colors, stripes, and patterns.
Common mutations in budgerigars are found in the bird’s coloration, stripes, and patterns. Rarer mutations include a crest on the top of the parakeet’s head or black bands on the face. Budgies can have a single or multiple mutation, making up a long list of possible variations in budgie appearance.
In their natural habitat, parakeets have a basic green color. In captivity, breeders breed parakeets with many different colors and markings. Those bred in captivity and sold as pets are usually brightly colored parakeets or parakeets.
The parakeet is also known as the common parakeet.
White and yellow are the two main color bases for parakeets. The base color is usually identified in the coloration between the black stripes on the bird’s head or in the feathers around the bill and eyes. The mutations cause the intensity and color tone of the parakeet. White-based parakeets often mix shades of light blue, deep blue, and violet on their bodies. Yellow-based parakeets come in shades of yellow, light green, olive green, or dark green.
Some parrots, such as the Rosella of Australia and New Zealand, are known for their bright red colors, a trait that can mutate over time in birds.
Other mutations in parakeets are found in rays. One type of streak mutation is called Cinnamon. This mutation causes the stripes on the wings and head to be brown instead of black. The parakeet’s body also sometimes has a hint of cinnamon coloration.
Opaline spangle and double factor spangle are also examples of stripe mutations. Characteristics of an opaline mutation are thinner black bands and thicker white areas on the back of the head. A sequin mutation means that the tips of the normally black feathers are white. Double factor spangle mutations can cause a parakeet to turn yellow or white.
Budgie mutations that appear as larger patterns are called peeps. In multi-color mutations, the solid base color is found in areas that normally have markings. These solid areas are also known as light feathers.
A parakeet with a dominant bicolor mutation will have a solid color on the areas of the head or wings that normally have black spots. Another example is the recessive mutation of the spotted parakeet. This type of mutation has one-color feathers everywhere except for the lower back, between the wings, and just above the tail. A third type of parakeet mutation is called transparent flight, which means that the parakeet has a transparent or solid color on its flight feathers.
Some of the rarer mutations in budgerigars cause unique effects. A crested parakeet, for example, has small feathers on the top of its head that can look like a messy wig. A black-faced parakeet has black bands that cover its entire face and sometimes its entire body. Some mutations in budgerigars are different on each side of the body. One side may have blue feathers while the other side is yellow, for example, and the stripes or patterns may also vary on each side.