# Pearl or Grey?



## Sarin (Oct 16, 2007)

I have been thinking about my Grey's feathers for some time, and today I showed two people his picture and they say he looks to be a pearl. He always looked pearl to be, but I always remembered him as a Grey. (Meaning I got him very young, and I KNOW he wasn't pearl - But I don't remember enough as to if I got him before or after his first moult) He is 5 years old.

What do you guys think?


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## october (Jan 10, 2008)

it looks like a grey to me.


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## Sarin (Oct 16, 2007)

That's what I thought until I looked closer to his feathers, they seem to have a lot of white speckling, like adult male pearls usually leave behind. ^^


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

I see what you mean. I think it's just the way his feathers are. Not sure...


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

I looked up grey cockatiel and this is what I found http://www.cockatiel.org/mutations/normal_grey.html It says he might be carring a gene for the recessive mutation "Pied."


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Intresting...Baby has a yellow spot on the back of her neck.


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## DeBree420 (Nov 14, 2007)

from what i have found out... it looks to me, not dead sure, but i think... it might have what they call 'spangle'...
its a slight absence of melanin from the centre part of the feathers with a normal grey edge... 
maybe google 'spangle cockatiel'...
i cannot see a pied split in this grey/spangle...but a bird can be split to pied, with only one different coloured toenail!

babyluv ...Baby im fairly sure IS split to pied...
when doing your sig pikies, i noticed, Baby has a lot of uneven yellow patterning in her face... i am sure that would not happen usually...

whiteface silver spangle
silver spangle...
i cant seem to find photos of regular spangles.... my friend has a tiel she thinks is is split to spangle...
looks a lot like this one....


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

DeBree420 said:


> babyluv ...Baby im fairly sure IS split to pied...
> when doing your sig pikies, i noticed, Baby has a lot of uneven yellow patterning in her face... i am sure that would not happen usually...


I posted a thread a while ago since someone else brought it to my attention and said they're sure she's not all grey but everyone here so far said she is and that it's normal for them to have the yellow specks like she does. She does have alot of them and also a little yellow one on the back of her neck..not sure though.



PS. I googled (or yahooed) spangled tiel with no results really..apparently some people call pearls spangled though.


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## DeBree420 (Nov 14, 2007)

yeah, like you said, a little is normal, but Baby has a lot!
i could be wrong still....
should check her toenails..


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## Sarin (Oct 16, 2007)

Thanks for all the info guys. I know that this isn't a pied marking, they are usually yellow splotches behind the head. I don't think its Spangled, but I am not sure what the breeder had at the time.

And Babyluv, I've seeen a few pictures of Baby and she looks identical to my Isis:

Front:









Back:









Isis is indeed split to Pied, and I think your Baby is too. If she has even one feather yellow on the back of her head, she's split!


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## DeBree420 (Nov 14, 2007)

yay split pieds are so cute... 2 out of my 3 tiels are split pied... and the other is pied 
Isis is a very sweet looking girl, i love her long crest feathers!
hehe your mottled guy might be split spangle 
no idea, really it could be any number of things
but he is a beautiful bird!


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Sarin said:


> Thanks for all the info guys. I know that this isn't a pied marking, they are usually yellow splotches behind the head. I don't think its Spangled, but I am not sure what the breeder had at the time.
> 
> And Babyluv, I've seeen a few pictures of Baby and she looks identical to my Isis:
> 
> ...


Ohh...that makes more sense now. I always thought is would have to be one decent size mark directly on the back of their head or one different colored toenail but I understand it now..She does have one yellow on the back of her head and also a yellow blotch on one of her flight feathers (not a regular grey barring that you see)..Thanks for your help!


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## Sarin (Oct 16, 2007)

No problem Babyluv! Now you know for sure that Baby is split Pied.


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