Is this a Pied

[wcabbab]

I have a silver hen, 09
Last year she was pure white.
She is just finishing her molt (still have a few pin feathers on her head). But I'm noticing that she is no longer pure white.
She has almost black spots on her back.

Not sure what constitutes a pied, or where it comes from. Does her color seem to be a pied? or is it just a weird coloring?

[L in Ontario]

She looks slightly pied to me.

[CandoAviary]

Pieds are normally dark base birds with light spots but in the case of light bodied birds there is no ability to show melanin (dark coloration) due to the mutation, however there are many light bodied birds that do show dark markings and these are considered pied by some ...others don't reconize the dark markings and continue to call them by the light bodied color. They assume that it was a faulty modification that is a form of melanism that is caused by poor diet or lack of light and that when the bird molts the feathers will return to normal. This however does not explain why some light bodied birds get the spots later and more with each molt. This is a pied characteristic. It is also has the ability to be passed on to the offspring even with perfect light and diet. So it depends on who you ask. You can see some on these links...both dark bodied (greens and blues) and light bodied (yellows and silvers)
Here is one that looks similar to yours.
http://picasaweb.google.com/gouldian01/ ... 3255078370
Some former pied topics on this forum with links:
http://finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=7 ... ed#p127082

http://finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=7 ... hilit=pied

There are also several books that have great pfotographs of the pieds, which are:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0975081713?tag ... 6VZ8YF85FA&

http://users.skynet.be/fa398872/boek1.htm

You have a beautifully marked bird
I wish there was a different name to distinguish the dark colored birds with light spots...pied
from the light colored birds with dark spots. In canaries they call them ticked or varigated, depending on the amount of dark coloring. In Australia they call them pieds and they also have a mutation called Aussie yellow that is a light bodied bird with a green saddle on the back.

[L in Ontario]

Very informational Candace - well done!

[wcabbab]

Wow, Thank you Candace