Black Face Zebra - The Black extent variable

[cindy]

Nerien, you bird ay have been melanistic. With proper food, lighting and care after a molt the condition can at times be reversed.


http://www.efinch.com/species/bfzeb.htm
There is a condition known as melanism that causes usually white areas on a bird to change to black. Melanistic males will look very much like Black Face males, but melanistic females are also black unlike Black Face females which are gray. These black areas are often quite blotchy and are not the even black seen in Black Face Zebras. While the BF mutation is genetically controlled, melanism seems to be a metabolic malfunction, possibly having something to do with the liver. (Melanistic female and another shot. Close up of belly Notice the blotchy coloration. This is the worst case of melanism I have ever seen. I sold this normal female to a pet shop a year or so earlier. I brought her back home to see if I could reverse the melanism.)
http://www.efinch.com/efinchimage/melan ... anism1.jpg

[Nerien]

Nerien, you bird ay have been melanistic. With proper food, lighting and care after a molt the condition can at times be reversed.

There is a condition known as melanism that causes usually white areas on a bird to change to black. Melanistic males will look very much like Black Face males, but melanistic females are also black unlike Black Face females which are gray. These black areas are often quite blotchy and are not the even black seen in Black Face Zebras. While the BF mutation is genetically controlled, melanism seems to be a metabolic malfunction, possibly having something to do with the liver.

Interesting. Originally, he looked just like the pictures Dovan has posted of his zebra. Then one morning, as I uncovered them from the night, he was just different--white on his face, whiter on his belly and flanks, spots in the orange on his flanks. Still has the black pants legs. Guess he had a sudden molt-spurt overnight.

The guy we got him from had a bird room with several kinds of large parrot-things, and when we went in, he had it dark in there, lights off, curtains drawn, even tho it was mid-day, I think to keep things quiet. (As soon as he turned on the lights so we could all go in, it got NOISY!!!! Big parrot-things!) Maybe he kept it dark too much, and influenced this little guy to be a bit melanistic. His sister, who is fawn, has recently molted and looks a bit different, too, a bit lighter in the belly and just, well, somehow different.

We can still call her "Fawn" for her name, but I think "Blackie" (short for Blackbeard the Pirate, with Pirate as the official name, to go with Piper, Princess...) needs a new name. Love the little guy anyway, he's got such a cute personality. Fawn, well, she's tough. But Blackie is a sweetheart.

[Vargur]

I was also thinking that this bird in question might be melanistic.
That sometimes confuses people.
BF birds should have their faces all black, not just half of it
and all their belly should be black, could be less because of the OB mutation,
and if the bird is pied..
Of course there are birds that arent "quality" birds..
and not all black face birds look the same,
the black amount varies from bird to bird.

One of my birds I got for free, thought I got the big three, BB BF BC.

when I got him

our new Zebra finch male - Raven - Krummi by Elma_Ben, on Flickr

after few weeks

Krummi by Elma_Ben, on Flickr
He was melanistic.

Melanistic birds can have small amount of black in them,
to very extreeme case like my bird.
After few molts it should go away, with good care.

[Nerien]

Wow. What a change.

Once quarantine and poweroutages from storm Sandy were over, we got the zebras settled in a nice big cage, and put fluorescent grow lights over it. Wasn't sure they were bright enough, but I guess this rapid change in his feathers is confirmation that they are good enough.

So what do I name Blackie now? "Blackbeard the Pirate" really doesn't fit a not-blackface sweet little guy, probably the most peaceful of the six zebras we have.

[Cold R]

He looks just like my BF, who is no longer BF, as someone (sorry, I forget who) predicted. When we got him, he was supposed to be about 6 months old, tho I wonder if the breeder mixed up batches and he was really from the 3 month olds. He has a thicker than usual black band, and the black went down the sides around the orange, like in your picture, perhaps a bit thicker. He has black "pants legs". His orange had no spots whatsoever. His tail was just crazy with white spots.

He had what looked like a couple of pins in his black face area, and someone said they didn't think he was bf, and that he would develop the white. Well, overnight, actually overnight, he did--all the pins all over him must have sprouted out all at once. Because literally overnight, he developed the white on his face, white spots on his orange sides, the black edges have receded and are barely a trace, if that. He still has his black pants legs, tho as his sides/belly whitened up, they are harder to see.

If it wasn't impossible, I would have thought someone had swapped finches on me overnight. He is now very difficult to tell from the NG in the cage. Although, I have noticed when preening, or wet from bathing, the NG is white all the way through to the skin, where former-BF looks like he's black underneath the outer white belly feathers when preening or wet. Have noticed this with a couple of the others, too--some look white all the way in, others look black deeper in. True?

Yeah that's was me -- ;)
I have gotten birds like that -- and after they were at my place for a few they have turned into normal looking birds

[Zebra-mutations]

Here is Darko one of my breeders.

[debbie276]

Very pretty

[Zebra-mutations]

This is draco, darkos half brother. (Different dads). He wouldnt sit still for decent poictures

[cindy]

Very nice!!! Nice extension of the black down the belly to the vent! The one thing I have noticed with the black face mutations is the pattern at the base of the underneath of the tail. Some can look checker board in appearance.

[Zebra-mutations]

Yes it does! both boys have black cheeked hens. I want to carry on breeding black face till i get all black belly to the vent. I have about 3 bloodlines i can mingle.

He is nice though.

[Vargur]

What a handsome boy you have there!!
I love black face!
If you breed in with another black face then
you will get DF blackface.
SF BF will give you 50% BF chicks.
DF BF will give you 100% SF BF chicks.