Learn which vegetable budgies like most

Want more Spangle babies!!!! just use this chart

Age fact using eye ring of budgies

Determination of Breeding Mood of budgies male and female

Sex Determination of Budgies

Budgies are sexually dimorphic in only one way: the cere. The ceres of young budgies under 8-12 months are all about the same: a bright pink or violet color. As the budgie sexually matures, the cere changes according to the budgie's sex.

Females - White/light-blue, tan, or brown cere. This is true for all varieties. With the development of brown color is a flaky texture. This can build up to be about a centimeter thick.
Males -Blue or purplish-blue cere in normal varieties only. Bright violet or pink (does not change after youth) occurs in the following varieties: recessive pied, lutino/albino, dark-eyed clear, lacewing, and fallow


If your budgie is less than one year old, the above rules are not applicable. The cere usually begins to change before one year of age but appears relatively ambiguous. A younger budgie's cere can appear to be changing towards one sex and then change the other way upon full sexual maturity at one year of age. However if your young budgie's cere develops the brown flaky appearance characteristic of female budgies you can be sure it is a female. You can also look at behavior to determine gender. Males often bob their heads, sing, and are usually more active and outgoing. Females are usually snitty and bossy over other budgies in the cage, and rarely sing. Females also usually make loud mad budgie sounds. Males sometimes make this sound too, but usually only when singing. If your budgie makes mad budgie sounds often it is most likely a female. Click here to hear a "mad budgie" recording.

Females

Brown Flaky Cere	Tan Cere	Pale Blue/White Cere

Males

Blue Cere - Normal Varieties	Purple Cere - See Varieties Listed Above.

Violet Factor

Violet factor is a color-adding factor. However, it is not as strong as the grey factor. If a budgie has a violet factor, you may or may not know it. True violet only shows up on cobalt budgies (white-based budgies with one dark factor) or, if double factor, on sky blue budgies(white-based budgies with no dark factor). It is very hard to tell if yellow-based budgies carry a violet factor. The violet usually darkens the green of the body feathers similarly to a dark factor. Sometimes, if you look closely, a violet tinge will be visible on the body feathers near the feet and vent of a green budgie with violet factor. Sky blue budgies with one violet factor will have a violet tinge, especially in the body feathers near the feet, and sometimes look darker than a normal sky blue. It is very difficult to detect violet factor in mauve budgies.

Basic Genetics:
Violet factor - semi-dominant
Normal - recessive

Grey Factor

Grey Factor
Gray factor is a color-adding factor. If a budgie has a grey factor, the color grey is added to the budgie's original body color. The grey factor is very strong and overrides the underlying color. Normal yellow-based budgies with a grey factor will be a grey-green color. Normal white-based budgies with a grey factor will be a grey color.

Basic Genetics:
Grey factor - dominant
Normal - recessive



Grey factor in a normal yellow-based budgie results in the grey-green variety.



Grey factor in a normal white-based budgie results in the grey variety.

Dark Factor

Dark Factor

All budgies have a level of "dark factor" ranging from no dark factor, one dark factor, or two dark factors. Wild budgies have no dark factor. Dark factor basically darkens the blue in the body feathers. (In budgies totally lacking normally colored feathers, such as albinos and lutinos, the budgie's dark factor will be present but unknown). A green (yellow-based) budgie with no dark factor will be the original very bright green; this variety is called "green" or "light green." One dark factor will result in a darker green; this variety is called "dark green." Two dark factors will result in a deep olive drab green color; this variety is called "olive." A blue (white-based) budgie with no dark factor will be the original bright sky blue; this variety is called "sky blue." One dark factor will result in a slightly darker blue; this variety is called "cobalt." Two dark factors will result in a deep grey blueish color (more grey than blue); this variety is called "mauve." Within each level of dark factor is room for some variation in darkness. One sky blue may look a little darker than another sky blue and one olive budgie may look a little lighter than another olive budgie. But usually there is no mistaking which dark factor category a budgie falls into, and the pictures below can be used as a guide.

Basic Genetics:

Dark factor - semi-dominant

Normal - recessive

No dark factor in a green (yellow-based) budgie relults in the classic light green variety

One dark factor in a green (yellow-based) budgie relults in the dark green variety.

Two dark factors in a green (yellow-based) budgie relults in the olive variety.

No dark factor in a blue (white-based) budgie results in the sky blue variety.

One dark factor in a blue (white-based) budgie results in the cobalt variety.

Two dark factors in a blue (white-based) budgie results in the mauve variety.

Base Color

Base Color

All budgies fall into one of two basic varieties. Either they have a yellow pigment base or they lack a yellow pigment base and are therefore white-based. In general, the base color is visible in the mask feathers and between the black stripes of the head and wings. (The exception is the yellow-face variety.) Normally, the body feathers are structured to reflect blue. In yellow-based budgies the blue in the body feathers combines with the yellow base pigment, which results in a bright green, the most common variety. In white-based budgies there is no yellow base pigment, so the blue structure of the body feathers results in bright blue coloration.

Basic Genetics:

Yellow-base - dominant

White-base - recessive

A yellow-based budgie results in the classic green variety.

A white-based budgie results in the common blue variety.

Budgie Feathers

The parts of a vaned feather

1. Vane 
the section of the feather with the feathery bits.
2. Rachis - the main shaft
3. Barb - thin branches that are attached to the rachis. Each of these has many more tiny branches coming off it called barbules. The barbules hook onto each other to hold the feathers shape. These are the bits that become a mess when you rub a feather up the wrong way! See the image below for a closeupof the barbs and barbules.
4. Afterfeather - a downy section of feather at the base of the vane.
5. Hollow shaft, calamus - the section of the feather without barbs that is attached to the skin.