Rare Budgie Colors ( Vet’s Guide 2024)
Last Updated on November 24, 2023 by Ali Shahid
Budgerigars, also known as budgies, are one of the most popular pet bird species globally, and for good reason. These birds are not only friendly and intelligent but also come in a wide range of colors and patterns.
In fact, budgies have over 32 mutations, which make them a favorite among pet bird owners.
In this article, we’ll delve deeper into the world of rare budgie colors. We will explore some of the most sought-after mutations and what makes them so special.
We hope this article will give you valuable insight into the world of budgie colors and the many mutations that make these beautiful birds so popular.
Rare Budgie Colors
1. Anthracite Budgies
The anthracite budgie is the rarest species of budgies because of its mutation. They are named after the mutation that causes them to be black, known as the anthracite mutation.
Generally speaking, the stripes, spots, and patches on the head and body are black. Moreover, the anthracite coloration is uniformly distributed throughout the feathers of the body.
Avian breeders from all around the world are attempting to create new budgie kinds by combining the anthracite mutation with others. They are obviously keen on bringing home one of the anthracite budgies.
As a result of mixing mutations, budgie breeders are continually attempting to produce new types. Hence, the potential for novel color combinations and hues is nearly infinite once a mutation occurs.
2. Japanese Budgies
In the same vein, the Japanese helicopter budgie is a very unusual budgie color. Its wings appear like helicopter propellers because the mutation altered the direction in which its feathers grew.
The Japanese helicopter budgie, also known as a Hagoromo (literally helicopter), was first introduced in Japan in the 1960s.
It may be called a helicopter, but it won’t be able to fly like one due to those wings. Hagoromo is the name of a feathered kimono and a spiritual entity in Japanese Buddhism.
3. Black Wings Budgies
The black-winged budgie is a real bird, although they are extremely rare at present. The reason for their black wings is not well understood.
According to most breeders, this is the result of selective breeding. Furthermore, it has been suggested that it may be caused by a mutation in an autosomal recessive gene.
4. Fallow Budgies
The “Fallow” mutation is what causes budgies to become “fallow.” The fallow mutation attenuates the production of dark-colored melanin.
Because of this, fallow budgies have soft pastel feathers and bright red eyes.
5. Violet Budgies
Budgies with the violet mutation are able to shift colors. “Violet factor” is the common name for the mutation.
Budgies may have their feathers change colors thanks to a mutation called the “violet factor.” That is to say, you can find budgies from both the green and blue series with violet-hued body feathers.
6. Feather Duster Budgies
The feather-duster budgie is also one of the rare colored budgies. They suffer from a genetic condition called chrysanthemum feathering. As a result of this syndrome, the feathers grow continuously.
Aside from this, they lack the parts of the feather that bind these parts together.
Due to this, feather duster budgies are unable to fly, and their eyesight is impaired. The majority of the time, they are also lacking in vitality.
Although they are among the rarer breeds of budgie, no budgie breeder would own them.
7. Slate Budgies
The slate budgie is also one of the rare types of the budgie. They are affected by a mutation known as “Slate”.
As a recessive and sex-linked mutation, slate affects the X chromosome and is passed on from generation to generation.
8. Halfe-sider budgerigar
The preceding examples have shown you that genetic mutations result in these unusual colors. Yet, there is no mutation at play in the case of the half-sided budgie.
The story involves two eggs, each with a distinct yolk, being fertilized by two different sperm and then fused together to form a single egg. This event occurs in half-sided budgie eggs before the shell hardens around the zygote.
When two egg yolks are fused and fertilized by different sperm, this results in a budgie that has different colors on the left and right sides of its body. The usual split between the blue and green halves of the body
Although most commonly associated with parrots, this phenomenon has been observed in other species, most notably cats.
9. Lacewing Budgie
A lacewing budgie resembles a combination of a lutino and an albino budgie. When melanin is absent, a normally blue or green object appears yellow or even entirely white.
Cinnamon-colored markings appeared on the face, rear of the head, wings, and tail. Their pink toes contrast with their crimson eyes. In 1948, people first started breeding this type of parrot. The National Exhibition in 1951 included the first display of such parrots.
10. Crested Budgies
Crested Budgies may be identified by the crest-like feathers on their heads. Crested Budgies can range from fully circular to partially circular to tufted to double- or triple-crested.
11. Rainbow Budgies
A Rainbow Budgie is a hybrid of blue-headed budgies with those that are opaline, yellow, and have transparent wings. Anyone with an interest in birds would greatly benefit from keeping a rainbow budgie as a pet.
Because it takes so much time and effort to coordinate all of those color mutations, you might not be able to locate this shade in stores near you.
Although breeding rainbow budgies may appear daunting at first, it is possible to achieve success with the right genetics.
12. Cinnamon Budgies
The cinnamon budgie underlies the cinnamon variation and is also present in the lacewing variety alongside the ino mutation.
In the Cinnamon edition, all the notations that are black or dark grey in the corresponding Normal version have a brown hue similar to white coffee.
The eyes of a newborn Cinnamon have a deep plum hue instead of the more typical black. This hue glows through the skin before the eyes open, and a reddish-brown glow develops after the eyes are open.
After a few days, there is no difference between a normal and a dark chick’s eye, but the difference in down color is striking: The feathers of Cinnamon, Opaline, and Ino chicks are white, in contrast to the feathers of their grey-downed relatives.
