Post by Casey on Oct 7, 2011 10:45:12 GMT -8
A split is a hidden gene. It means the bird carries the gene but is visually not that mutation. Not all splits are visible in cockatiels but some are very apparent.
Split Pied.
A lot of people misidentify a grey bird for a pied if it has yellow-white feathers interspersed in its plumage. As long as the bird does not have solid yellow wing or tail feathers the bird is split pied. If the bird has a solid yellow wing or tail feather they are a visual pied.
Visual clues of a split pied bird include:
yellow/white feathers on the back of the head, neck or in the crest.
Whiteface split pied hen (her crest has white feathers throughout it)
Pearl split pied hen, notice the single solid yellow feather in the neck, this same bird has also another on her belly.
Pied patches but no pied wing or tail feathers.
Striped beak.
Patched feet and or random pink toenails.
Pearl split pied feet, notice the one pink toenail and faint grey patches to the toes.
In Whiteface Lutinos and Lutinos, a blue-grey or greenish eye rather than red and sometimes the flash will seem pink rather than red.
First photo shows a lutino with jellybean pink eye flash instead of red, the second and third photos show the blue-grey iris in a lutino pearl split whiteface pied fallow
Split Pearl (male only)
Only males can be split pearl as pearl is a sex linked mutation and females cannot be split to sex linked mutations. Split pearl males can be distinguished from visual pearl males.
A Visual Pearl male will have yellow mottling on his adult tail feathers.
Visual clues of a split pearl bird:
"Ghost" pearls on back and shoulders. These are slightly faded pearls on the male's back. Visual pearl males can have these too, however split pearls will not have the mottled tail feathers.
Grey pied split cinnamon pearl male (this bird is not a visual pearl)
Split Whiteface:
Both male and females can be split whiteface. Whiteface is recessive so both parents must be at least split whiteface or both have to carry the whiteface gene to get any whiteface babies.
Visual clues to split whiteface:
In males, a very evident white rim around the yellow mask, just behind the red cheek patch. In females, this is still apparent, however it is harder to see.
Irregular cheek patches. They will be an odd shape, not circular and round like normal birds. They may be streaky or off colour. They may have yellow streaking through the red cheek.
Pearl split cinnamon whiteface pied Male (notice the square shaped cheek patch, the yellow mask bleeding into the red patch and the white rim just behind the cheek patch)
Lutino pearl split whiteface fallow pied or Lutino pearl pied split whiteface fallow Hen (notice streaky cheek patch, this bird is a lutino, where it will be difficult to see the white rim)
Split Cinnamon:
Again, only males can be split cinnamon as it is a sex linked mutation. This is a subtle split and it is not always visible.
Visual clues of Split Cinnamon:
Red eye flash in photos taken with flash, only in males, non cinnamon birds. Visual cinnamons also have this red eye flash
left is a male pied split pearl and cinnamon, right is a cinnamon whiteface pied hen
Split Fallow: Both males and females can be split fallow. It is a recessive mutation.
Visual clues will be red eye flashes, similar to cinnamon, however if a grey based mutation hen has red eye flashes with camera flash, the bird is split fallow. Fallow is the only split that shows as a red eye flash in a female cockatiel.
Female pied split fallow
Thank you to cinnamonbits and lperry82 for allowing me to use their photos for this sticky!
Split Pied.
A lot of people misidentify a grey bird for a pied if it has yellow-white feathers interspersed in its plumage. As long as the bird does not have solid yellow wing or tail feathers the bird is split pied. If the bird has a solid yellow wing or tail feather they are a visual pied.
Visual clues of a split pied bird include:
yellow/white feathers on the back of the head, neck or in the crest.
Whiteface split pied hen (her crest has white feathers throughout it)
Pearl split pied hen, notice the single solid yellow feather in the neck, this same bird has also another on her belly.
Pied patches but no pied wing or tail feathers.
Striped beak.
Patched feet and or random pink toenails.
Pearl split pied feet, notice the one pink toenail and faint grey patches to the toes.
In Whiteface Lutinos and Lutinos, a blue-grey or greenish eye rather than red and sometimes the flash will seem pink rather than red.
First photo shows a lutino with jellybean pink eye flash instead of red, the second and third photos show the blue-grey iris in a lutino pearl split whiteface pied fallow
Split Pearl (male only)
Only males can be split pearl as pearl is a sex linked mutation and females cannot be split to sex linked mutations. Split pearl males can be distinguished from visual pearl males.
A Visual Pearl male will have yellow mottling on his adult tail feathers.
Visual clues of a split pearl bird:
"Ghost" pearls on back and shoulders. These are slightly faded pearls on the male's back. Visual pearl males can have these too, however split pearls will not have the mottled tail feathers.
Grey pied split cinnamon pearl male (this bird is not a visual pearl)
Split Whiteface:
Both male and females can be split whiteface. Whiteface is recessive so both parents must be at least split whiteface or both have to carry the whiteface gene to get any whiteface babies.
Visual clues to split whiteface:
In males, a very evident white rim around the yellow mask, just behind the red cheek patch. In females, this is still apparent, however it is harder to see.
Irregular cheek patches. They will be an odd shape, not circular and round like normal birds. They may be streaky or off colour. They may have yellow streaking through the red cheek.
Pearl split cinnamon whiteface pied Male (notice the square shaped cheek patch, the yellow mask bleeding into the red patch and the white rim just behind the cheek patch)
Lutino pearl split whiteface fallow pied or Lutino pearl pied split whiteface fallow Hen (notice streaky cheek patch, this bird is a lutino, where it will be difficult to see the white rim)
Split Cinnamon:
Again, only males can be split cinnamon as it is a sex linked mutation. This is a subtle split and it is not always visible.
Visual clues of Split Cinnamon:
Red eye flash in photos taken with flash, only in males, non cinnamon birds. Visual cinnamons also have this red eye flash
left is a male pied split pearl and cinnamon, right is a cinnamon whiteface pied hen
Split Fallow: Both males and females can be split fallow. It is a recessive mutation.
Visual clues will be red eye flashes, similar to cinnamon, however if a grey based mutation hen has red eye flashes with camera flash, the bird is split fallow. Fallow is the only split that shows as a red eye flash in a female cockatiel.
Female pied split fallow
Thank you to cinnamonbits and lperry82 for allowing me to use their photos for this sticky!
i do think i need to start putting some visual photos together....