New Zebra Finches - What mutation?

[Flight of Fancy]

I got a pair of adorable little zebra finches today so now I officially have them. The hen layed an egg at the store yesterday. They are the only birds in the cage. Pictures aren't the best because my conures play gym is on top of their cage and it blocks the light quite a bit. I didn't want to bother them to much. Atara, my Jenday, doesn't bother them at all. And neither do the two dogs. So that's good. When the chinchillas make a lot of noise they go on alert but seem to calm right back down. I love their little sounds. Anyway, I'm pretty sure they are a Regular Chestnut-flanked White Pair. But what do you all think from these horrible pictures?

[Flight of Fancy]

[lovemyfinch]

I can tell you that they are beautiful

[cindy]

the male looks to be a penguin (no tear, markings around the face make me think that) or part penguin (does he have a black chest bar that goes ascross his front?) The female it is hard to say she has a dark tear so she may not be penguin. Is she white or white with a gray back? Can you get a picture of her from the side or back?

this may help
http://www.efinch.com/varieties.htm
http://www.efinch.com/species/cfwzeb.htm
http://www.efinch.com/species/pengzeb.htm

[Flight of Fancy]

Thanks Cindy. I will try to get better photos of them in better light. Right now they are busily making a nest so I don't want to scare them to death although they've been in a pet store for months so they are real used to distractions. They seem to have settled really well.

So a lack of a tear mark indicates a Penguin?

[Frankenfinch]

I love your Penguin boy! Very handsome and he has a very cute Chestnut Flanked White girlfriend! Congrats

[Flight of Fancy]

Well they finally got it right and after waiting for 6 months or so, Berd and Grall managed to hatch out their first chick on January 1, 2012 no less. He has fledged and feathered up and looks like a wild-type male Zebra.

If Berd is a male Penguin and Grall a female Chestnut Flanked White according to this genetic calculator I should get:

http://zebrafinch.info/colours/genex.asp

50% Normal/Penguin Chestnut flanked white Males
50% Normal/Penguin Females

That isn't what the little male is.

Their second clutch of three has fledged a few days ago. They look much better than their older sibling, plumper and completely feathered. Of course they haven't molted into their adult plumage yet. They still look like your typical Zebra baby, grey and white with a black beak.

I'll try to grab pics of everyone tomorrow. But do I have the mutations wrong on the parents? I've always had the male narrowed down to a double factor Chestnut Flanked White, Florida Fancy, or Penguin. He doesn't have the tear mark and the chest bar doesn't go completely across his chest. But pictures are so contradictory in a google search. The hen appears to be a Chestnut Flanked White (double factor?). But again I can't be sure...

So opinions again everyone. What are they? Haha

[cindy]

I own penguins and breed them. Your boy is a penguin. One pair is a split...baby penguins emerge from the nest and appear to look like normals. When you breed a normal to a penguin you will either get splits or you can get penguin that have a faint bar. As they molt out and they color up, some will remain normal zebra in appearance split to penguin. Others may color up, the tear will fade out, and if a split it will have a some faint barring and they will look penguin. This does not happen with every clutch, I have gotten two penguins out of my split pair and a few normals (out of two clutches). The key when they fledge is in the tail. They are slow to color up.

http://www.efinch.com/species/pengzeb.htm

Female penguins can sometimes be recognized in the nest, the white cheeks are a silver white.

male baby penguin

Male adult

[DanteD716]

Yes, male looks penguin.. hen CFW?

[Angeldov222]

hi Dante, do u still want Ghost? let me know Sandy im thinking about breeding the black cheeks see what happens with them