Purple Budgies

[sunrays20]

Those are so gorgous.

I am not talking about regular violet or cobalt, but the rarer version of those, the purple.

Anyone have one of those. Do you mind posing some pictures?

Something like this.....

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/B.../nashell2a.jpg

[Monica]

Gotta say, that photo looks off. I've seen some very purple budgies, and they are my favorite mutation! Used to have a light purple - recessive pied budgie. That was quite a while ago and don't have any pictures.

In this picture, on my hand is a skyblue, dominant pied green, clearflight violet green (or so I believe), and a violet sky-blue (looks cobalt).


I know she's a violet because she has purple tail feathers which is not seen within the normal blue varieties


And the one in the background in the first picture is a double factor dominant pied (looks recessive) opaline violet sky blue.







This isn't a great photo, but it shows the coloration of a blue budgie's tail feathers without the violet factor




The cobalt is not a violet mutation. It's a dark factor. The regular violets which appear to be cobalts are usually single factor violets. The more purple budgies may be double factor violets, and their coloration comes out best if they are also opalines.


Budgie / Parakeet Colors and Mutations Guide
Common Budgie Mutations

[sunrays20]

No one in here has a purple budgie?

[usamma]

I've been told a couple of mine look purple, but nothing like that pic you posted.

[sunrays20]

Originally Posted by usamma

I've been told a couple of mine look purple, but nothing like that pic you posted.

None of yours on the picture looks purple.

[birdlover912]

I love the purple budgies, and I hope to see one in person someday! They are so beautiful!


(From Help in identifying mutation of my new birds - Budgerigars - Budgie Forum not my pic )

You have to wonder if these pictures are enhanced a bit though...

[sunrays20]

Some of these on the link below are actually purple.

Google Image Result for http://homepage.ntlworld.com/j.w.evans/images1/30c.jpg

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/j.w.evans/images1/30c.jpg

[Monica]

Usamma, I would believe that at least four of your budgies may be carrying the violet gene.

My pictures may have been enhanced a bit, but that's to try and bring out the coloration - not to change it, but just so you can really *SEE* it. The tail feather pics are the ones that have the most enhanced coloration - but if the purple was not in there and I enhanced the color - it wouldn't show up.


I don't believe we have any violet budgies on this forum with the intensity of which you are looking for.

[usamma]

Originally Posted by Monica

Usamma, I would believe that at least four of your budgies may be carrying the violet gene.

My pictures may have been enhanced a bit, but that's to try and bring out the coloration - not to change it, but just so you can really *SEE* it. The tail feather pics are the ones that have the most enhanced coloration - but if the purple was not in there and I enhanced the color - it wouldn't show up.


I don't believe we have any violet budgies on this forum with the intensity of which you are looking for.

Yes, I agree. That was not the best photo, but if you look at them in bright light the cobalt (or are they violet?) ones shine purplish similar to what was posted above. After seeing that photo I pulled a couple of them out (Spirit, and Lucky, who are not related-- the other two cobalts are Lucky's chicks). and examined them under light and that's what I saw. Cool! I wonder how you get that gene to show up as a more obvious purple? Not that I'm even considering breeding anymore birds!

I wonder if it's a sex-linked trait since all of our purplish ones are females? I didn't get any male violets/cobalts out of the 14 chicks last summer. All the males came out sky blue pieds or normal blues.

[Monica]

That's a good question! You can tell for sure if they are violets if they have violet within their tail feathers. Cobalts will not have any violet.

The trait is not sex-linked, so it's interesting that you got all hens with that coloration! Violet factor works in the same way as Dark factor does. That is, they can be single factor or double factor. A double factor Violet is more likely to appear purple than a single factor. A double factor Dark will certainly be darker than a single factor dark.

Budgie / Parakeet Colors and Mutations Guide - Violet
Budgie / Parakeet Colors and Mutations Guide - Dark Factor


Now the fun part comes in when you are trying to differentiate between a Violet Factor Green or a Dark Factor Green! They practically look the same, and I don't believe that Greens have any Purple feathers to tell!