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srtiels
10-01-2009, 10:54 AM
Below is info that I have been typing up to eventually add to my website. I'd like some feedback to see if the info is clear, or needs more added to it.
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It all began with the normal grey cockatiel. The first captive breeding of cockatiels was in France in the 1850’s. From there cockatiels spread worldwide, and it took about 100 years for the first mutation to evolve, which was the pied. A mutation is defined as a spontaneous change in the genetic code. These changes have resulted in the many of the different colors we now have today. All cockatiels, excluding the normal grey are mutations.
Lets examine some significant changes.

1...The color of cockatiels are derived from two pigments.

Melanin: Provides the grey color in normal cockatiels. It is also present in the eyes, beak and feet, which can vary between mutations. For example, the Lutino mutation is devoid of melanin. This affects the eyes, which will appear red from the blood vessels showing, and the beak and feet will be lighter.

Lipochrome: Provides the yellow on the face and tail and orange seen in the cheek patch. As males mature the melanin pigments in the face become weaker allowing the Lipochrome to be visible, while in the tail the melanin increases to cause the tail to be a darker, solid color. The Whiteface mutation lacks Lipochrome, thus the white face with no yellow or orange. Areas that would be yellow or orange are replaced with white.

2...Color mutations occur on three aspects of a cockatiel

Overall color: Several mutations that affect the overall color of the cockatiel.
Normal grey
Lutino
Cinnamon
Fallow
Recessive Silver
Dominant Silver
Emerald

Color of the face:
Sex-Linked Yellow Cheek
Dominant Yellow Cheek
Whiteface
Pastelface

Changes to the pattern of colors:
Pied
Pearl

3...Mutations are inherited in three ways

Sex-Linked: Sex linked mutations are carried on the X chromosomes. Cocks have 2X chromosomes, and hens have an X and Y chromosome. In order to produce visuals of a mutation the X chromosome must be carried by both parents for a cock, and just one X chromosome for a hen. Note, hens can not be split to a sex-linked mutation because if the mutation is on their X chromosome then it is visible, thus what you see is what the bird is. A male is split when only one X chromosome carries the sex-linked mutation.
Sex-Linked Mutations are:
Lutino
Cinnamon
Pearl
Yellow Cheek
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Recessive Mutations: To obtain a visual offspring to a Recessive mutation both parents must have the gene either visually or split. Hens can be split to a Recessive mutation. For example: to produce a pied, each parent must at a minimum be split to pied. If one parent does not carry the pied gene, and the other is a visual pied then the offspring will be split to pied.
Recessive Mutations are:
Pied
Fallow
Recessive Silver
Whiteface
Emerald
Pastelface (recessive to normal gray)
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Dominant Mutations: Dominant mutations are unique because it requires only one parent to produce visual offspring, of either sex. A bird can not be split to a Dominant mutation. You either visually see the mutation or you don’t. A single factor dominant cockatiel has one X chromosome, and a double factor has two X chromosomes.
Dominant mutations are:
Normal Grey
Dominant Silver
Dominant Yellow Cheek
Pastelface (dominant to Whiteface)
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And lastly, I am working on graphics for the webpages. I am just web-page design defecient and having problems trying to link pages together.....grrr How do they look?

Kai
10-01-2009, 11:07 AM
It all looks good to me. Only thing I noticed was in the Olive/Emerald pic. It says !990s instead of 1990s.

srtiels
10-01-2009, 11:25 AM
It says !990s instead of 1990s

Kai...good eye...Thanks! That slipped by me :(

Birdlette
10-01-2009, 12:51 PM
Suzanne, excellent info as usual. I am genetics-impaired and tend to go into a stupor :confused: when you all are chatting about dominant this and split to that, but I think I actually understood this time :)

atvchick95
10-01-2009, 01:33 PM
looks good

Kai already pointed out the ! instead of 1 that i saw but I did have to look like 3 times before I realized it wasn't a 1 :)

Kai
10-01-2009, 01:40 PM
lol Glad I could be of service. I love all of your information btw. It is so well put together and easy to understand. I can't wait to see your website.

srtiels
10-01-2009, 04:29 PM
Thanks all... I have finially started adding things to the website. There isn't much just yet. I have been working on graphics for the headers of the pages, and sorting out alot of typed stuff and articles to start uploading in the next week or so.

The site is: http://justcockatiels.weebly.com/