Peach Face Lovebirds
The name Peach face lovebird often gets confused as being the birds Mutation (Aka color) when in fact it is the Species of Lovebird their scientific name is Agapornis roseicollis. They are also called Rosy Faced Lovebirds. They are from Africa. The average life span of a Peach Face lovebird is 15 Years. However, with proper care they can live longer.
They get their name because the green series birds have a bright red- peach face , while blue series have just a Small band of "peach" over the forehead (Brow area). and to confuse this more There are even White Face Peach Face Lovebirds :) they have a creamy white face/bib(Chest) and their brow gets the peach color but not as strong as a non white face peach face.
Lovebirds are monomorphics, Which means you can't visually tell male from female. There is only 1 way to visually sex a peach face lovebird but you have to know the parents mutations. If the baby is a sex linked mutation such as Lutino, and only the dad is the carrier of the Lutino gene Then the baby will be female. Females can not be split to sex linked genes. They are either that mutation visually or they're not the mutation at all. But males can be visual or split to any sex linked mutation.
Peach Face Lovebirds fall into two color series
Green Series - Dominant
Blue Series - Recessive
Blue series has 3 recognized variants
Dutch Blue Also known as Aqua
White-Faced Blue Also known as Turquoise
Sea Green Also known as Aqua Turquoise
Other than just the Base color there are many mutations.
Simple- Recessive When a mutation is recessive both parents have to carry the gene to get any visual babies. If Only 1 parent carries the Recessive gene then the babies will not be visually the mutation but they will be split to it. When a Bird is Split to a mutation you can not visually see it. With recessive genes both males and females can be split to it.
Recessive Genes:
Blue, Whitefaced Blue, and Seagreen.
Orange-faced
Fallow
American Yellow (Dilute) and Japanese Yellow (Imperial Golden Cherry)
Australian Recessive Pied (dark-eyed clear)
Sex Link Recessive- A mutation that is sex-linked is written on the X chromosome. The male has an "XX" pairing, while the female has "XY" (which is opposite to mammals). Since the female only has one "X" - she has to show the mutation. She also determines the gender of the offspring, since she passes either an "X" or "Y" gene to her young. The male only contributes the "X" gene to the young, while she will contribute either the "X" or the "Y" gene to the offspring - thus determining the gender of their young
Sex- Link Recessive Genes:
Lutino
American Cinnamon
Australian Cinnamon(AKA Pallid)
Lacewing - They don't have any lacing on their wings, or edging on the feathers, They have red eyes, Cinnamon flight feathers,Cinnamon stripes across the tail and blue rumps. Lacewings are very rare. For one to be produced the male must be visually or split to American Cinnamon, Lutino and or Australian Cinnamon
Opaline - instead of the normal Red or peach face the Opaline's color mutations entire head is red, except for some pale grey to violet ear patches. The Opaline's body color is light green and the rump is green a non Opaline Green has a blue rump.
Partial Dominant - Co- Dominant:
Only one parent needs to have the gene for any babies to be visual this is referred to as Single Factor, How ever if both parents carry the gene then it's considered double factor the color is stronger compared to a single factor.
Partial Dominant Co Dominant Genes:
Dark factor: Jade, Olive, Cobalt, Slate
Violet AKA: Danish Violet
Dominant Genes: Only one parent needs to carry the gene for all babies to visually display the mutation. The Dominant Gene will pretty much trump any other that may be involved. The "Wild Green" is Dominant base color, if a Pure (non- split) wild green is paired to say a recessive mutation such as blue, All babies will be green split to blue.
Dominant Genes:
American Pied - Plumage is Yellow with variegated greens & Greenish Blues
Green (AKA Normal or Wild Type)
There are some color changes that are not genetically inherited
red suffusion, sometimes this is called red pied. it is not likely to be at true mutation, since no one has been able to consistently reproduced babies carrying this characteristic through a serious of generations. Red suffusion is usually seen in old birds or young birds(normally females) before their first molt. the red suffusion usually grows out after each molt. The causes of red suffusion are not well understood, but could be an indicator of liver or kidney disease, an improper diet, or other unknown disease / metabolic causes. The Below mutation list is not a full list but it'll give you an idea on what color of mutations you can get with Peach face Lovebird Breeding
From: http://www.avianweb.com/peachfacelovebirdgenetics.html
They get their name because the green series birds have a bright red- peach face , while blue series have just a Small band of "peach" over the forehead (Brow area). and to confuse this more There are even White Face Peach Face Lovebirds :) they have a creamy white face/bib(Chest) and their brow gets the peach color but not as strong as a non white face peach face.
Lovebirds are monomorphics, Which means you can't visually tell male from female. There is only 1 way to visually sex a peach face lovebird but you have to know the parents mutations. If the baby is a sex linked mutation such as Lutino, and only the dad is the carrier of the Lutino gene Then the baby will be female. Females can not be split to sex linked genes. They are either that mutation visually or they're not the mutation at all. But males can be visual or split to any sex linked mutation.
Peach Face Lovebirds fall into two color series
Green Series - Dominant
Blue Series - Recessive
Blue series has 3 recognized variants
Dutch Blue Also known as Aqua
White-Faced Blue Also known as Turquoise
Sea Green Also known as Aqua Turquoise
Other than just the Base color there are many mutations.
Simple- Recessive When a mutation is recessive both parents have to carry the gene to get any visual babies. If Only 1 parent carries the Recessive gene then the babies will not be visually the mutation but they will be split to it. When a Bird is Split to a mutation you can not visually see it. With recessive genes both males and females can be split to it.
Recessive Genes:
Blue, Whitefaced Blue, and Seagreen.
Orange-faced
Fallow
American Yellow (Dilute) and Japanese Yellow (Imperial Golden Cherry)
Australian Recessive Pied (dark-eyed clear)
Sex Link Recessive- A mutation that is sex-linked is written on the X chromosome. The male has an "XX" pairing, while the female has "XY" (which is opposite to mammals). Since the female only has one "X" - she has to show the mutation. She also determines the gender of the offspring, since she passes either an "X" or "Y" gene to her young. The male only contributes the "X" gene to the young, while she will contribute either the "X" or the "Y" gene to the offspring - thus determining the gender of their young
Sex- Link Recessive Genes:
Lutino
American Cinnamon
Australian Cinnamon(AKA Pallid)
Lacewing - They don't have any lacing on their wings, or edging on the feathers, They have red eyes, Cinnamon flight feathers,Cinnamon stripes across the tail and blue rumps. Lacewings are very rare. For one to be produced the male must be visually or split to American Cinnamon, Lutino and or Australian Cinnamon
Opaline - instead of the normal Red or peach face the Opaline's color mutations entire head is red, except for some pale grey to violet ear patches. The Opaline's body color is light green and the rump is green a non Opaline Green has a blue rump.
Partial Dominant - Co- Dominant:
Only one parent needs to have the gene for any babies to be visual this is referred to as Single Factor, How ever if both parents carry the gene then it's considered double factor the color is stronger compared to a single factor.
Partial Dominant Co Dominant Genes:
Dark factor: Jade, Olive, Cobalt, Slate
Violet AKA: Danish Violet
Dominant Genes: Only one parent needs to carry the gene for all babies to visually display the mutation. The Dominant Gene will pretty much trump any other that may be involved. The "Wild Green" is Dominant base color, if a Pure (non- split) wild green is paired to say a recessive mutation such as blue, All babies will be green split to blue.
Dominant Genes:
American Pied - Plumage is Yellow with variegated greens & Greenish Blues
Green (AKA Normal or Wild Type)
There are some color changes that are not genetically inherited
red suffusion, sometimes this is called red pied. it is not likely to be at true mutation, since no one has been able to consistently reproduced babies carrying this characteristic through a serious of generations. Red suffusion is usually seen in old birds or young birds(normally females) before their first molt. the red suffusion usually grows out after each molt. The causes of red suffusion are not well understood, but could be an indicator of liver or kidney disease, an improper diet, or other unknown disease / metabolic causes. The Below mutation list is not a full list but it'll give you an idea on what color of mutations you can get with Peach face Lovebird Breeding
From: http://www.avianweb.com/peachfacelovebirdgenetics.html
What they can not be split to
Lovebirds can not be split to Violet, This is semi-dominant meaning at least 1 parent has to carry it, but it is still dominant and no bird can be split to any dominant mutation. So they also can't be split to Green, or American Pied. If some one tries to sell you a bird split to violet, They either don't know what their talking about - in other words they did not research genetics and mutations like they should have before they started breeding, or they're trying to scam you I've seen many ads for a "Split to violet" and charge more money because of it. This goes for a Blue bird who is supposedly split to Green or any mutation split to American Pied.
There is a recessive pied in peach face lovebirds, but it doesn't seem like there are very many with that gene.
There is a recessive pied in peach face lovebirds, but it doesn't seem like there are very many with that gene.
Here are some pictures of different mutations in Peach Face Lovebirds - These are all birds I own or have owned in the past.
Lutino
© K&M Breeding
This is Pugsley My male Lutino - He is a proven male , in order to get Male Lutino's both parents had the Lutino gene. So even though I don't know his parents or their genetics I do know his mom had to be Visually Lutino and his dad was either Visual or Split to Lutino. Since Lutino is sex linked no female can be split to it. When I breed him to non Lutino females All visual "Ino" babies are automatically female. Lutino's are born with red eyes so as soon as they hatch you know you have Ino babies because it almost looks like they have no eye balls at all. He is also split to blue.
Slate
© K&M Breeding
Slate is also known as Double Factor Dutch Blue. What that means is that in order to get a Slate Love bird Both parents must carry the dutch blue gene, Either visually or Split
Sea Green Pied
© K&M Breeding
Pied acts by removing the melanin from selected portions of a birds feathered body. This results in some or all of the birds feathers being Yellow or a paler green than a normally colored bird.
Pied has caused some confusion specially with new breeders, the confusion arises because the pattern of melanin removal is different in every pied. Some pied are almost all yellow, some are almost all green most fall between these two extremes showing some green and some yellow feathers. Also the fact that some of the yellow feathers on a pied can resemble the yellow of a Lutino has has caused some breeders to think the two are closely related. When in fact even though both mutations are caused by the removal of melanin they're not related mutations. You can't breed a lutino by breeding two heavily pied birds together. If the bird is an American Pied that is a dominant gene and it only takes 1 parent being pied for the offspring to be visually pied.
Pied has caused some confusion specially with new breeders, the confusion arises because the pattern of melanin removal is different in every pied. Some pied are almost all yellow, some are almost all green most fall between these two extremes showing some green and some yellow feathers. Also the fact that some of the yellow feathers on a pied can resemble the yellow of a Lutino has has caused some breeders to think the two are closely related. When in fact even though both mutations are caused by the removal of melanin they're not related mutations. You can't breed a lutino by breeding two heavily pied birds together. If the bird is an American Pied that is a dominant gene and it only takes 1 parent being pied for the offspring to be visually pied.
Dutch Blue Pied
© K&M Breeding
Like snowflakes the pied mutation is similar as in No two Pied lovebirds are the same :)
Green Pied
© K&M Breeding
This lovebird is a Normal Green pied. You can tell this because of the yellow patches Normal Green Lovebirds do not have yellow, Also the face is red which is for Green Series.
White Face Sea Green American Cinnamon Violet Pied
© K&M Breeding
This pied may not look pied but if you recall from the paragraph in the 1st pied picture. The amount of melanin that is removed varies from bird to bird. What Makes this bird pied is the couple Clear Flight feathers she has, and the yellow spot on her head
Edge Dilute
© K&M Breeding
Edge Dilute is Recessive
The melanin is diluted 60% on an Edge Dilute the claws are Dark, the feet are light grey, the rump is a faded (or diluted) Sky blue, the mask is Red. the wings have an "edging" effect
The melanin is diluted 60% on an Edge Dilute the claws are Dark, the feet are light grey, the rump is a faded (or diluted) Sky blue, the mask is Red. the wings have an "edging" effect
Green Variation
© K&M Breeding
This Lil' Guy is a Medium Green Violet he's also split to cinnamon , ino, and Blue - You can't visually see his splits. But he's considered a "Combination" mutation he has more than 1 mutation Visually - Which is the Green and the Violet When a Lovebird carries the violet Gene the rump is a deep dark cobalt blue instead of the normal Bright Blue
Green
© K&M Breeding
This is the normal Green or Wild Type Lovebird.