Very ....very clear IB pied

[Dany12]

By crossing out how to increase the percentage of white on a IB pied?
Only the hazard ( fortuity ) playing?

 

[AquaEyes]

I don't think you can successfully select for "more white" in pied peafowl, because the White gene is simply variable in its expression. There may be unknown modifier genes that have roles in this, but I don't know what they are. And couple that with the fact that the pied birds don't breed true and you have quite a steep hill to climb.

There is one gene in peafowl that has three versions -- Normal, Pied and White -- and these work together to present different phenotypes. With respect to Pied (I'm leaving out Silver Pied in this description), you have a few options depending on which version of the gene is present. I'll start with regular IB and progress to White. Since they are all versions of the same gene, the peafowl can have a total of two versions (one on each member of the chromosome pair).

IB -- two Normal versions

IB split to Pied -- one Normal version, one Pied version

IB split to White -- one Normal version, one White version

IB Dark Pied -- two Pied versions

IB Pied -- one Pied version, one White version

White -- two White versions


When you look at actual birds, you'll find that "IB split to White" will have a few white flight feathers, maybe some white on the chin, but that some birds will show more white than others. When you look at a Dark Pied bird, you'll find that they tend to look rather similar. When you look at a Pied bird, you'll find some variation. What this leads me to believe is that the Pied gene has a less variable phenotype than the White gene, and those Pied birds that have more white than other Pied birds are simply showing one end of the variation possible with that gene -- but I think most of the variation is random. Who knows, though...there could be other genes present that increase the extent of the pigment loss, but if you don't know if they exist or how to find them, it makes it harder to select for them.

Good luck!

 

[Arbor]

I believe that the aussie reverse pied is a selection of pied for more white, since they don't have the white-eyed gene to get silver pied.

 

[AquaEyes]

From the way information is presented on the Australian site promoting "reverse pied javas", I tend to lean more in the direction that the breeder is simply sharing photographs of his "loudest pied" birds only, and portraying his "skill as a breeder" for producing only the loudest of pieds. But, that's just my opinion -- my way of interpreting the evidence as it's presented. There seems to be a lot of misinformation being passed on there as well, which is making me lean this way.