DIFFERENT PARAKEET COLOR VARIATIONS

Different Parakeet Color Variations

The original and traditional parakeet comes from Australia and is the only natural wild budgie. Every single one of these birds is the same color – yellow and green with black stripes.

Over the decade’s parakeets have been domesticated and bred in captivity which has lead to the creation of different parakeet color variations. This article will go over the 6 main color variations you are likely to come across, how they come to be, and what variation is best for your home.

We will also cover leucism in parakeets, sexing by color, and troubleshoot the reasons your budgie might change color!

Color Variations Of Parakeets

The color variations of parakeets in captivity these days are extensive and diverse, but here are the few which are the most likely to come across.

  • Green – this is the original parakeet color as it is the base color of wild parakeets. Green parakeets come in varying shades from light, dark to olive.
  • Blue – this lovely variation is based on recessive genes so is less common than the dominant green color variation.
  • Grey – this muted color is not as vibrant as the usual bright colors but is combined with a white mask and is embellished modestly with greens and blues.
  • Purple – this gorgeous color dates early in the captive history of parakeets and has long since been quite rare.
  • Cinnamon – a rare color variation, cinnamon parakeets are unique because the color is variable not just in their feathers but are shown also in their characteristic red claws and eyes!
  • Rainbow – a popular color variation, this occurs after generation of breeding a collection of different colors to create a genetic mix and match.
Different Parakeet Color Variations
Photo by Murilo Folgosi from Pexels

What Decides What Color A Parakeet Is?

The color that a parakeet expresses is purely based on its genetics. New color variations have emerged in captivity breeding due to selective breeding.

Colors are either based on recessive or dominant genes. Think back to high school biology and the lessons, including punnet squares for genetics!

Recessive genes are those that need multiple expressions of an allele to be expressed. Dominant genes are those that, if present, will be expressed easily.

This makes recessive genes rarer than their dominant counterparts. Lighter colors tend to be recessive genes, while darker colors dominant the gene pool.

Recessive genes take more generations of selective breeding to express properly, thus are rarer color variations for pet parakeets.

What Color Parakeet Should I Get?

One of the hardest parts of getting a new pet parakeet is choosing what color variation to get! Here are a few things to consider when choosing your new parakeet.

  • Price – the rarer the color variation, the more you should expect to pay. Your budget will play a big part in choosing a new parakeet.
  • Future breeding – if you plan to breed your parakeets in the future the color will be important to decide what color your future babies will be. Not just the color of the parakeet parent, but the genealogy of that bird. The parents of your parakeets will pass on unexpressed genes to their young that may appear unexpectedly in your own breeding endeavours.
  • What parakeets you already have – either you might want to try to collect as many colors as possible and want to breed unexpected colors, or you may want to keep to the same colors and breed a particular color.
  • Preference – ultimately the color variation of a parakeet won’t affect its personality or health (unless it has been heavily inbred to achieve color), so choosing a color can come down to personal preference!

What Is Leucism In Parakeets?

Leucism is a rare genetic mutation that can happen in any line of the genetics of parakeets.

It is a mutation that is causing the pigment not to be expressed in parakeet feathers and displays a white parakeet.

Sometimes this is expressed as a complete lack of color, or it may look like splotchy dull patches.

Either way, leucism is not related to the genetics of color variations, as a parakeet of any color variation can be leucistic.

Leucism And Albinism In Parakeets

Leucism is often confused with albinism. Albinism is another similar genetic mutation. Albinism affects all of the feathers and will not display a partial lack of color as leucism may.

In addition, it will extend beyond just feathers and skin; feet and eyes will also lack pigment.

Can The Color Of A Parakeet Tell Me The Sex?

The color of a parakeet's feather is not dependent on the sex of the bird. A bird of any sex can be any color variations. 

But you can use color to sex a parakeet outside of their feathers. Once your parakeet reaches maturity (at 1 year old), you can tell a male parakeet from a female by the color of the bird’s ceres.

The cere is the skin around the nostrils. In males, this skin will be dark blue, while in females, it will be a brown or tan color. Easy peasy!

Other ways to sex a parakeet includes:

  • Cere shape – males ceres are more rounded and bulbous. This is hard to see on a male on his own but compared to a female the difference will be obvious.
  • Head shape –  males have rounder and larger heads than females, whose heads will appear flatter.
  • Bite – you probably don’t want to use this unconfirmed sexing technique but it’s widely thought that females have a much harder bite than males
  • DNA sexing – this can confirm 100% the sex of your parakeet, you may choose to do this initially while you are still learning to pick the females from the males visually.

Why Has My Parakeet Changed Color?

Generally speaking, your parakeet should not be dramatically changing color! Some slight changes in shade may be normal, but anything beyond that could indicate some more serious issues. Let's go over the wide range of reasons a parakeet may change in color.

Age

Under the age of 1, juvenile parakeets will all have a pink color on their ceres, and when they reach maturity, it will change to a dark blue for a male or a brown for a female. This is normal for a youngster, but cere change in adulthood is not normal and be due to nutritional deficiency.

As your parakeet approaches old age, their bodies are getting tired, and many chemical reactions internally slow down. This may be reflected in a visibly duller bird. As your bird gets old, its color may become a lot less vibrant.

Molting

Molting occurs mostly annually (once a year) and is the process of replacing old feathers with brand new shiny and strong ones. Before a molt, a parakeet's coloration may dull slowly; this may not even be noticed until the new feathers emerge and you see they are a lot brighter!

Molting is 100% normal.

Preening

Parakeets have an oil gland at the base of their tail that they use to preen their feathers to keep them in vibrant and strong conditions. If you notice your parakeet is changing color and beginning to look scruffy and dull, it may be due to a lack of preening.

A happy and healthy parakeet will happily preen. If your parakeet is not preening, there may be underlying health issues, or it is not feeling comfortable and secure in its environment to stop and put itself in the vulnerable position of preening.

Nutrition

The pigment in your parakeet’s feathers is produced and maintained by a healthy and functioning body. If your parakeet is nutrient deficient, then it may be reflected by a lack of color or changing colors of the feathers. Other parakeets surviving on exclusively seed diets may lack essential vitamins to produce vibrant color.

If you think this may be the cause, contact your vet for diet advice.

Stress 

Creating new feathers during a molt is a physically demanding process for your parakeet. If your parakeet is undergoing stressful changes during this time, i.e., bullying, lack of nutrition, or disease, this may be expressed in the color of the new feathers as stress bars or stress lines.

The stress lines will appear across the feathers that are lacking in color during the growth period. This will show you that during this time, your parakeet was under significant stress. Unfortunately, you can’t remove these stress bars; they will have to stick around until your parakeets next molt.

Conclusion: Different Parakeet Color Variations

Most parakeet color variations will stem from the genetic make-up of the bird and its breeding. But some very rare genetic mutations can turn up in any genetic line and cause strange color variations!

If your parakeet changes color, sometimes this can be natural and normal, depending on the circumstances. It can also be a sign that something is off with your parakeet. Make sure you investigate all the causes to ensure your parakeet is expressing normal behaviors and is happy!

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