new mutation? or just odd...

[lonchura_boi]

I've just rounded up the last of my zebs before winter sets in and i have this male who is about 4 months old now. Id noticed him about a month ago and thought his cheek patches were just slow in coming in but now I've had a closer look i see they are actually faintly stripped, in fact if you look real close you can see the stripes actually seem to be extensions of the bars on his throat…
has anyone seen anything like this?

[WrenNAustinTX]

He looks split to black cheek, to me. It gives sooty lines in the male's cheek patches. Check out this picture from efinch:

Also, do you have pictures of the parents and siblings?

[monotwine]

I would say you have some Bicheno / Owl finch blood in those Zebras / babies.
Do you house any other birds with your Zebra pair?

[monotwine]

Owl and Zebra are closely related and hybridise quite easily. If your pair is alone, I'd hazard a guess at someones parents were not exactly who they thought they were.

[afinch]

I would say you have some Bicheno / Owl finch blood in those Zebras / babies.
Do you house any other birds with your Zebra pair?

I'm guessing you are looking at the front bird in her first picture? I suspect she was talking about the one in the back, as it's the one that appears in subsequent photos. That one doesn't look anything like an zebra-owl finch hybrid to me :]

[cindy]

There is nothing odd about your zebra...I agree it looks split to Black Cheek....it is also either split to CFW or Lightback....white lacing on the feathers' edges

What are mom and dad?

[lonchura_boi]

firstly, AFINCH , I'm a HE not a SHE…yes, thats right, there are also men on this forum!
don't worry there is no hybrids being bred, there are three young owls that were fostered under zebras out in the aviary, there are no adult owls being housed with my zebras.

hmm the thought that it may just be he is split BC did cross my mind but I'm not sure I'm convinced. his tears are quite narrow for a split, and they don't sort of bleed into the cheek like most splits, like i say the lines seem to be a continuation of the bars on his throat but perhaps thats just coincidence. he is destined to be paired up with a BC CFW hen so if they produce BC il know he is definitely a split.

his mother was a normal split BC and his father was normal split fawn and CFW as his sisters were all fawns or white, in fact the white hen in the pic with him is his sister.

[monotwine]

Silly me! Yes was looking at what I thought looked to be a pure Bicheno! LOL I didn't read it properly obviously.

[afinch]

Silly me! Yes was looking at what I thought looked to be a pure Bicheno! LOL I didn't read it properly obviously.

lol that's what I figured...

[monotwine]

I'm not a true blonde, but entitled to a blonde moment every now and then!