Colour Strokes

Basic colors

The colors of budgerigars are divided into two color series (blue/green), with another three color levels (light / medium / dark).

Furthermore, to the green series belong the gray-greens as well as the lutinos and to the blue series the violets, the grays as well as the albinos.

Other color variations: Violet factor in the green series as well as slate in the blue series.

Color strokes & plumage characteristics

➔ Abbreviations

Green series

The green series has both the plumage pigment “melanin” (black / brown & blue coloration¹generated by microstructures) and the plumage pigment “psittacin” (yellow coloration) which in combination result in a green plumage.

• Lutino: This has yellow plumage without markings, red eyes and silvery white cheek patches.
• Black-eye: This has yellow plumage without markings, black eyes and white cheek patches.
• Dun: this has a strongly brightened yellow plumage, brown or brownish markings, red eyes and brown throat spots, and purple cheek patches.
• Lacewing: This has yellow plumage with brown markings and brown throat spots and light purple cheek patches.
• Australian Pinto: This has a light patch on the nape, usually has a yellow band over the belly the wing feathers as well as the long tail feathers are yellow.
• Recessive piebald: This has irregular, lightened patches (piebald) of yellow over the entire plumage and has a yellow mask extending to the chest.
• Continental Pinto: This has a light patch on the nape of the neck and the color of the breast plumage usually matches the color of the face (mask).

Blue series

Blue-row lacks the plumage pigment “psittacin”, which is responsible for the yellow coloration.

• Albino: This has white plumage without markings, red eyes.and silvery white cheek patches.
• Black-eye: This has white plumage without markings, black eyes and white cheek patches.
• Dun: This has a strongly brightened blue plumage (almost white), brown or brownish markings, red eyes and brown throat spots, and purple cheek patches.
• Lacewing: This has white plumage with brown markings and brown throat spots and light purple cheek patches.
• Yellow face: This represents a peculiarity in the blue series, since it has a more or less intense yellow head color.
• Australian Pinto: This has a light patch on the nape, usually have a white band across the belly and the wing feathers and long tail feathers are white.
• Recessive piebald: This has irregular, lightened patches (piebald) of white over the entire plumage and has a white mask extending to the chest.
• Continental Pinto: This has a light patch on the nape of the neck and the color of the breast plumage usually matches the color of the face (mask).
• Rainbow: This one is characterized by a color gradient and has the features of light wing, opaline and yellow face. It also has lighter throat spots and dark blue cheek patches.

Other plumage characteristics

• Collared Pinto: This is not really a color, but a mixture of Recessive and Australian Pinto.

• Light wing: This has a light wavy pattern with normal plumage colour.
• Opaline: The fringing of the wavy pattern corresponds to the plumage color and they do not have wavy pattern on the head and nape. In addition, they have a lightened triangle at the top of the wings.
• Spangle: This has an inverted wavy pattern with dark fringing. The wing feathers are white or yellow with dark edges and the cheek patches are gray, silvery white or a mixture of both.
• Gray-winged: This has a lightened plumage color, a smoky-gray wavy pattern and smoky-gray throat spots, and pale purplish to bluish-gray cheek patches.
• Cinnamon: This has a somewhat lightened plumage color and a cinnamon-brown wavy pattern and throat spots.
• Clearbody (Lightbelly): This one has a heavily brightened plumage, but a normal wavy pattern. In addition, this one has black throat spots and purple cheek patches.
• Blackface (Blackface): The dark head markings extend across the forehead to the bill, giving them a dark face (mask).
• Blackwing: This has lightened plumage, while the markings on the wings retain the normal depth of color.