The Genetics of Cockatiel Mutations
If you breed
different cockatiel mutations, what is the likely distribution of the cockatiel
chicks when they emerge from the nestbox? Obviously half are likely to be male,
and the other half female. But what colour are the different chicks likely to
be? Even two apparently "Normal" grey cockatiels can produce different
coloured chicks.
The answer is in the genes! The different colour
mutations that you can expect can be calculated from the genetic makeup of the
two parents. This may help you sex one of your chicks, as it may be that a
certain mutation is only possible for one of the sexes. Or it may be that you
are looking for the best pair of birds to mate in order to produce a chick of a
particular mutation.
This page simplifies the process by doing the genetic
calculations for you. All you have to do is enter the genetic details of the
cockatiel parents. Just follow the steps below.
- For this page to work you must have a Java-enabled browser.
It works with Internet Explorer version 4 or 5 and Netscape 4.5 upwards.
If you have another browser which is Java-enabled and you have problems use the
problem report form.
- If you don't already know, identify which mutation
your male and female cockatiels are. Most of the varieties are shown on the
North
American Cockatiel Society page.
- Choose the visible type of the male cockatiel. This
is the type that the male appears. If the type is a Normal Grey, just choose
the Normal Grey button. If the type is a single mutation, select one of the
boxes. If the type is a multiple mutation, select all the appropriate boxes
(e.g. for a Pearl-Pied, select both the Pearl and Pied boxes). Certain types
are not allowed - a message will appear if you choose an invalid type.
- If you know what type(s) the male is Split To
(these are genes which the bird has, but does not display), select the boxes
besides the types to which your male bird is split. If you are not sure do
not select any of the boxes.
- Repeat step 2 for the female cockatiel.
- Repeat step 3 for the female cockatiel.
- Click on the button at the bottom of the page to
view the chart of the probable offspring type distribution (this may take a
few seconds). The results
key may help to explain what the which mutations displayed on the chart
mean. Be aware that the breakdown displayed is only the likely distribution
of a new clutch - in practice the actual distribution of the mutations in
the clutch will differ from the most probable colour distribution.
- If your birds have had offspring, you can
experiment with the Types Split To boxes - you may be able to work out their
exact genetic makeup. Just click on the cockatiel button again to
recalculate the clutch distribution.
- If you would like this site to deal with the Dominant Silver and/or
Pastel Face cockatiel mutations, in addition to the mutations that are covered,
then bookmark this page. These two further cockatiel mutations should be incorporated
on this page soon.
- If you have any comments about this site, send an
email.
