Very different Black cheek baby from the 6th clutch

[cindy]

Today I noticed a very odd little one from my Black cheek pair...6th clutch, housed as a pair. This little one was born crested with no black cheeks (far right). All the babies now and in the past have fledged with cheek and none have ever shown a fancy feather do! Guess it is the draw of the gene pool!!!!

[6finchfriends]

Congrats! He's a real cutie! Maybe you have a brand new mutation! A black cheek crested without the black cheek..... hmmm, but it wouldn't be a black cheek anymore would it? ha How fun to find something completely unexpected!!! They are all cute little darlings. I just love the black cheeks! Love the dark charcoal colors. Even without the black cheeks

[cindy]

Thank you Trish....zebras = surprises!!!!

[6finchfriends]

My pair are sitting on 2 little zebra eggs. The SFFF hen and the penguin cock. I have no idea what their genetic grab bag holds so I'm really excited! Your babies are so adorable!

[MLaRue]

Could it be just a normal grey baby? Either way a cutie ;)

[cindy]

Not a normal gray, the tail and underside are black cheek and the parents have had all 6 clutches in their own cage and never housed with normals.

The baby looks all black cheek in every way but the cheeks...definately a little twist on the trait wheel of chances!!!

[Vargur]

Well he is Normal gray.
His parents (or at least his mom, shown in the pic) are normal gray - black cheek.
maybe he is split to BC because of the other markings.
Even though his parents are both full BC,
it does not have to mean that all the chicks have to be BC.

[cindy]

there are so many hidden genes that go way back in these guys.... to look straight on at it he looks normal but from the back it looks black cheek, the coloring on the tail is BC. I also noticed the flanks frill a little and there is a marking of some sort coming out in that area....they say everything with zebras started from the grays....

Can I ask...what on the mother looks to be a split? Comparing the picture on efinch to her I see no difference.

[cindy]

this is the pair/parents

[Ursula]

this is the pair/parents

Wow!!! Now THIS is a handsome zebra finch. I usually don't care so much about zebras, but he is stunning!!

[cindy]

Thank you Ursula...he is very calm, both are. I had other males but he has such dark markings, I love this pair.

[CandoAviary]

I agree, beautiful pair indeed and they make cute babies

[cindy]

Thank you Candace.

[Vargur]

I didnt say that the mother is split.
I just did "Normal gray - Black cheek" for some reason...
I also said: Even though his parents are both full BC,


She is 100% black cheek and also daddy finch
And they are stunners!



At first thought (and look) I think this baby finch is NG Crested.
Maybe.. I dont know.. I only guess.. Maybe it is BC but the cheeks are hidden for some reason?
Or.. Split for BC.

[cindy]

Thank you...I thought that you meant the bird could look BC but be split and you could tell by suttle signs.

This is their 6th clutch...never seen this before, all the males come out looking like dad and the females like mom but with bigger cheeks. This is a complete fluke since the pair has always been housed alone since they are so meek and gentle I was afraid to free flight them with normals, some of my males can be brutes!!!!

I has to go back to a long famly tree....maybe their lineage includes a split and a crest somewhere.

I just had a pair of normals (Dad split to fawn, silver FF) throw a male offspring with a spot of breast bar, hardly any thin bars across the chest, no flanking and faint pale cheeks...he also sounds like a duck when he sings!!! Someone is playing roulette with the gene pool!!!!