'tiel mutation mystery!

[lyoness]

I was wondering if someone could help me figure out what color mutation my cockatiel Brown Eyed Girl (Brownie) could possibly be; I've scoured google.com for mutation sites but come up empty-handed. I've seen others like her, so I know she's not THAT rare, but it's still strange that I can find nothing. She's not a whiteface, because... well... her face is not white. However, she doesn't have orange cheeks, so possibly a mutation of whiteface? She's almost a taupe color, a grayish-brown.
I'm also rethinking the fact that we assumed she was female. Recently I saw a video on youtube of a cockatiel that looked almost exactly like her, with horizontal bars on her tail feathers and pearl-tipped wings, but it's owner called it a male. I always assumed because of her light coloring and horizontal bars that she's a little girl.
Now the only clue I have to go on is that she as never, and I mean has NEVER whistled; not a day in her life. She's very quiet and only does a raspy sort-of squawk/scream when she wants something. I suppose that's a big enough factor to go on?
We've had her a little over a year, so she's probably almost two years old. So far no eggs, so cross that out for now.
I really don't mind if she's a female or male, it wouldn't be the first time I've had a case of mistaken gender. (Beezer, my other 'tiel was formerly "Beatrix.") But her Daddy, my fiance, would be a slightly saddened if he found out his little girl wasn't... well, a little girl. She's definitely a "daddy's girl" and he loves her so much. I know he wouldn't stop or even love her any less if she was a boy, it would just alter the personality we personify on her a little.
All in all it really doesn't matter, I'm just curious if her strange mutation could possibly make it more difficult to tell males from females. Anyone know?

Here's some pictures of the little booger for analysis:






Thanks all.

fran lyon

[Izzy]

Female whiteface cinnamon is my guess.

The whiteface mutation in females is more of a lack of the dirty orange circle.

She's gorgeous, that's for sure!

[Abby]

In all honesty from the pics she looks like normal w/f girl to me.

The youtube person doesn't seem to knwo what they are talking about. That is one little girl.

W/f do not have cheek patches. I'm a looking at my whiteface 'tiels outside and a text on my lap and tere is no cheek patch on the w/f

Hard to say from the photo but I'd be thinking more cinnamon or even a possible pewter.

[limpyduckling]

The female white face has a lot more grey or cinnamon on their faces. I have a white faced female but she is all white. and she is a she cause she has laid 7 eggs and has had 4 babies. She does look cinnamon when the light shines on her. What color was her mom and dad or do you know

[Tokyo01]

She does look like a W/F girl to me too.She is very pretty.I have a W/F boy.

[tielfan]

She looks like cinnamon whiteface to me. One of Buster and Shodu's babies was a cinnamon whiteface girl. You can see her in the foreground of this picture. Incidentally, there are THREE chicks in that bowl! All of them are cinnamon so you won't see too much color contrast between the whiteface chick and the others. The normal grey chicks (not shown) were a lot darker. Cinnamon is usually a much lighter shade than the normal grey, although there are some dark cinnamon tiels. Cinnamon also has a bit of a brownish tint but this can be harder to see in whiteface birds because they don't have the yellow wash.

[tielfan]

Recently I saw a video on youtube of a cockatiel that looked almost exactly like her, with horizontal bars on her tail feathers and pearl-tipped wings, but it's owner called it a male. I always assumed because of her light coloring and horizontal bars that she's a little girl.

The bird on YouTube could have been a male if it was a baby, because juvenile males start out with female coloration and molt into their adult plumage later. But in a mature bird, tail bars and wing spots are a definite sign of a female.

[Abby]

Another little observation....your little girl is split pied.

She's not a dirty face either. With a normal cinnamon w/f hen the face is meant to look like that. Looks perfect to me.

[tielfan]

your little girl is split pied

Good catch! The lighting was off in some of the pictures so I didn't pay much attention to the little markings on her head, but you're right - those are actual patches of light feathers and not just a trick of the light.

[Monica]

I agree with the others! You have a cinnamon whiteface split pied!

Do you still know where that video is on youtube????

As for "dirty face" this usually applies to the pied mutation... where-in males can have a 'dirty face' just like the hens.. or either sex could have a clear face (appears like male in either sex).


As for mutations specifically.. well, here's what the 'wild type' aka 'normals' appear like (male and female)

Whiteface pair looks exactly the same, minus the orange cheeks and yellow coloration....




Here's a normal male vs a whiteface male (click to enlarge)

Tiels_027.14074020_std.JPG

And here is a whiteface pair....

If I could find a picture that has a whiteface and a whiteface cinnamon for comparison, I'd show ya, but can't find one... so hopefully, this one will do! Self explanatory, and hopefully you can see the difference... (although both having the pied gene "distorts" their coloration)