Variety Recognition - What does it mean?
By Brett Doran
Breeders are often misinformed about what this term means. If you mention variety recognition to some members of the hobby in WA they will immediately try to confuse the matter by claiming it has something to do with Genetics. Bulldust or should I say, budgie droppings!! What it all comes down to is developing an "eye for detail", not just type. I'll give you some examples, look at a pair of identical twins. When you first meet them they appear to be identical, though after a few hours with them you realise they are not truly identical as your eye picks up subtle differences. A second example, we have all seen posters which are initially just a maze of colour but when we have the knowledge and the "eye" to decode these pictures a entirely different picture is there to be seen. No genetics here!
When you view a Budgerigar in a show cage you are in fact looking at 2 birds! The first is the visual bird called the Phenotype, the bird you can see. The other bird you have in the cage is the Genotype which is the hidden bird carried in the genes. When discussing variety recognition we are talking about the Phenotype or what you see visually. When you have a judge claiming to only be able to judge what they see, they really mean, what their sometimes limited knowledge and experience with that variety allows them to see. For those prepared to admit they have shortcomings, and we all do, this is not a problem as these can be rectified and greater success can ensue which benefits judges and breeders alike. As Gerald Binks states in his book "Best in Show", "All judges should be capable of judging every variety and must make themselves fully conversant with the lesser known colours, even though they themselves do not breed these varieties." Any Judge or Show Manager who lacks experience or knowledge of a variety or varieties should get out to breeders of that Variety and benefit from those with the knowledge and experience. There is no shame in seeking assistance to become more knowledgeable and successful in your chosen path. Another option is to dedicate one breeding cabinet or more per year to a variety that you haven't worked with before and gain experience that way. We, for example, bred Crests last year just for the experience and to gain some knowledge about this variety.
The path to variety recognition requires some dedication on the part of the breeder. All we hear about is Type, Type and more tripe, sorry misprint, Type. We are regularly told that "if it hasn't got a big head leave it at home" which is exactly what a lot of variety breeders are now doing. Sound advice indeed for clearing the show benches! If that is all we are interested in we may as well all breed Grey Green Normals and let all the other varieties that attracted us to this hobby in the first place disappear into extinction. In a future article I will discuss the damage this over emphasis on type is having on particular varieties. The Standard calls for a 60/40 breakdown of points between Type, and variety characteristics, that is, markings and colour but the current emphasis seems more like 90/10. We all realise that type is important but lets keep a balanced perspective on its importance. Looking beyond the outline we see a wonderful world of colour and variety with the budgie being a natural canvas provided by nature.
Variety recognition requires us to observe the birds and look more carefully at what's before us. Is it a Grey Green or an Olive? The cheek patch and tail feathers will tell us. Grey Greens are Grey and Black respectively and Olives are Violet and Blue. See, nothing to do with Genetics at all, only what we recognise visually. Lets look at something slightly more difficult. Recessive Pieds and Dominant Pieds. Some Recessive Pieds come through lines that have been bred to Dominant Dutch Pieds to produce Dark Eye Clears. Often these Recessive Pieds take on some of the marking characteristics of the Dominant Dutch Pied and can look similar to the casual observer. They can be easily distinguished by the lack of an Eye Ring and a flesh coloured cere on the cocks while the Dominant Pied cocks have Blue ceres and an Eye ring. It all comes down to observation and experience with the variety. Lets look at a third example, the Australian Yellowface. Experience and observation of this variety will tell you that as UBC's both SF and DF Australian Yellowfaces are clear of suffusion of the body. It is only after the first moult that SF birds take on the characteristic wash of suffusion into the body. If this knowledge was more generally known we wouldn't see Dark Green split Blue UBC's judged in Yellowface classes under the mistaken belief that they are SF Australian Yellowface UBC's. There are many other examples too numerous to discuss in this article. Once again nothing to do with genetics, just variety recognition gained by experience and observation.
My advise to all those budding Show Managers, or future Judges is to get out and talk to those people who breed the rarer varieties or for that matter any variety you don't breed yourself, who are only too willing to assist in your development. Go over the birds like a "fine tooth comb" and develop an eye for detail and discover for yourself the unique features which sets that particular variety apart from the rest. It can be an exciting and fulfilling aspect of the hobby for those who are willing to make the effort.