Development of Budgie Mutations
The normal green and yellow bush budgies living in Australia live in huge flocks to protect them from predators and help find food and water.
The odd colored mutations result from changes in the gene order on a chain of characteristics passed on from parent to offspring. The resulting mutation, if it survives to fly with the adults, will stand out from the others budgies and be an easy target for hawks and other predators that see the difference and focus on it.
In captivity mutations pop up out of the greater population and are pampered and raised up and bred to favor the mutation so these odd birds have a chance to develop a viable number to be shared among other breeders until there are enough to be allowed out for the public in general to be able to buy them.
Some people will pay a lot of money to have one of the rare mutations and even import the mutations from around the world. A breeder can spend thousands of dollars to import and pay for seclusion for 30 days to prevent disease coming in to the US.
In the past, mutations were captured in Australia and exported to other countries.
Now this is illegal in order to preserve the wild flocks. The multicolored budgies -- both the smaller standard sometimes called American and the larger English show budgie live in captive colonies.
Sometimes budgies will escape and can form wild non-native colonies in areas where they can find food and adequate cover. In this case they can displace a native species or become ill and die off from invasion by an organism that they have no resistance to in the area they have adopted.
Mutations may develop in these non-native flocks as well, but the most prevalent way is for a mutation to pop up in a breeding colony and be worked with by a breeder often for many years before the mutation is stable enough to be presented to the public.
I hope this gives you an Idea of how this process works. If a mutation possesses the necessary genetic dominance it can supplant the original form or coexist successfully in a receptive environment. This does at times happen in wild populations, but currently most mutations are more likely to survive through intervention by man. This applies in general to wild populations around the world -- whether it is a budgie or a panda bear. Populations become extinct when there is no longer a niche for the population to use for survival and growth.
Hopefully this will answer some of your question and perhaps encourage you to expand your research.
Blessings, Jo Ann:budge::budgie:
The odd colored mutations result from changes in the gene order on a chain of characteristics passed on from parent to offspring. The resulting mutation, if it survives to fly with the adults, will stand out from the others budgies and be an easy target for hawks and other predators that see the difference and focus on it.
In captivity mutations pop up out of the greater population and are pampered and raised up and bred to favor the mutation so these odd birds have a chance to develop a viable number to be shared among other breeders until there are enough to be allowed out for the public in general to be able to buy them.
Some people will pay a lot of money to have one of the rare mutations and even import the mutations from around the world. A breeder can spend thousands of dollars to import and pay for seclusion for 30 days to prevent disease coming in to the US.
In the past, mutations were captured in Australia and exported to other countries.
Now this is illegal in order to preserve the wild flocks. The multicolored budgies -- both the smaller standard sometimes called American and the larger English show budgie live in captive colonies.
Sometimes budgies will escape and can form wild non-native colonies in areas where they can find food and adequate cover. In this case they can displace a native species or become ill and die off from invasion by an organism that they have no resistance to in the area they have adopted.
Mutations may develop in these non-native flocks as well, but the most prevalent way is for a mutation to pop up in a breeding colony and be worked with by a breeder often for many years before the mutation is stable enough to be presented to the public.
I hope this gives you an Idea of how this process works. If a mutation possesses the necessary genetic dominance it can supplant the original form or coexist successfully in a receptive environment. This does at times happen in wild populations, but currently most mutations are more likely to survive through intervention by man. This applies in general to wild populations around the world -- whether it is a budgie or a panda bear. Populations become extinct when there is no longer a niche for the population to use for survival and growth.
Hopefully this will answer some of your question and perhaps encourage you to expand your research.
Blessings, Jo Ann:budge::budgie:
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
1 - 1 of 1 Posts
1 - 1 of 1 Posts
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
Talk Budgies Forums
A forum community dedicated to budgie owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeding, health, behavior, molting, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Top Contributors this Month
View All
Cody
137 Replies
karenblodgett3261
78 Replies
StarlingWings
75 Replies
Recommended Communities
