White Zebra Finch?

[SemiQ]

I've got a friend with some zebra finches (4 to be exact) and they have hatched two groups of eggs. Eight the first time and now four. The first eight were all normal coloured finches but this time one out of the four is a white finch with a bit of a darker head. None of the parents look like this, so I was wondering if maybe one of them might carry a white gene? Anything to explain this would be great!

 

[sourland]

I would guess that white is a recessive gene that is carried by both parents, but am not 100 % sure of this.

 

[SemiQ]

I would guess that white is a recessive gene that is carried by both parents, but am not 100 % sure of this.

Thanks, its helpful anyway!

 

[Serin]

@SemiQ White with a darker head is usually chestnut-flanked white. It is a recessive, sex-linked gene, so it can only be carried recessively by the male, and it means that any white babies from that pair will be females (because males which inherit the trait will be gray, and recessive for it, like dad.)

 

[SemiQ]

@SemiQ White with a darker head is usually chestnut-flanked white. It is a recessive, sex-linked gene, so it can only be carried recessively by the male, and it means that any white babies from that pair will be females (because males which inherit the trait will be gray, and recessive for it, like dad.)

Ooooh, interesting! Bird genetics are so strange. Thanks for the information.

 

[ColtHandorf]

There are a lot of mutations available in Zebra Finches. You can see a link to a website here that describes some of them:

http://www.efinch.com/varieties.htm

Much like chickens, unless the birds are obtained from a breeder and their parentage known, their clucthes can be all over the place in terms of color. I generally only buy from breeders that have multiple generations of the mutation and can show they will breed true.

 

[SemiQ]

There are a lot of mutations available in Zebra Finches. You can see a link to a website here that describes some of them:

http://www.efinch.com/varieties.htm

Much like chickens, unless the birds are obtained from a breeder and their parentage known, their clucthes can be all over the place in terms of color. I generally only buy from breeders that have multiple generations of the mutation and can show they will breed true.

Thanks for linking me a site! I'm not sure where he got his finches, but it was definitely a surprise when we saw the little guys in the aviary.

 

[ColtHandorf]

No problem.