GOING FOR GOLD

by

J Johnson & R Rowsell J172

We would like to ask if anyone has bred or recorded breeding a gold rumped Tri-colour Parrot Finch (pictures below). We would like to record a first UK breeding of this mutation of the if it has not already been recorded. If anyone else has got or has breed this mutation we would like to hear from you.

We bred four gold rumped chicks out of six chicks (2 rounds of 3). In each round were 2 gold and 1 red rump (normal) chicks = 2 gold hens, 2 gold cocks, 1 red hen, 1 red cock = (red must be split for gold?), both parents must be split. Grandparents and great grandparent birds were normal red rumped. We bought our birds in 1998. They were English bred in 1997 by the breeder. Our friend, Jill Whitewood also bought birds from the same breeder. She produced the split hen in 1999, we produced the split cock in the same year. We bought Jill's hen and paired them in October 2000 and they parent-reared the six chicks (four gold, two red). The grandfather had also produced four more chicks in 2000 which may be split for gold, so we have a strong chance of producing four more gold rumped tri-colurs with our stock.

We have some information of this mutation happening in the wild very rarely, and two being bred on the Continent but dying before being bred with.

We have photographed two birds which unfortunately died due to the cold snap and staying out in the outside flight one night.

We would ask that all information on this mutation be passed to us through Paul Ceiley, the Editor of the Grassfinch magazine.