What color is Luna?

10201 Views 72 Replies 11 Participants Last post by jbangelfish, May 1, 2009

wolfwood

Discussion Starter · Mar 9, 2009

I finally have a photo that does justice to Luna's feathers. She's really quite striking!! There are 2 unresolved color questions related to her:

1. Does this coloring have a name?
1.a.

Does the pattern have a name? (My guess is she's got too much color to be saddle), She does have the soft gray on both sides under her wings and the dark feathering does wrap around her neck but her head, face, neck, chest, belly, back & tail are white (except for the 1 black spot you can see on her tail.)
2. Her dad is a white Homer ... is it possible to now identify what color he really is/carries?

Thanks!

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MaryOfExeter

· #2 · Mar 9, 2009

Well darn, I was hoping she'd have colored tail feathers so you'd know for sure if it was indigo

Does look a lot like it, and bronze too. Some others should be here soon to give their input

NetRider

· #3 · Mar 9, 2009

Beautiful bird!

I had one last year with the same exact color. I am not sure what you call that color, but the parents of my bird were:

Grizzle blue-bar cock with some red markings on his wings. (He was the son of a grizzle blue-bar, and an ash red hen)

White winged blue checker hen.

I guess the youngster got the red color from the dad, the white wings from the mother, and the grizzle effect from the dad again, but it was funny how it looked so much like a saddle.

Good luck with your youngster, it surely is beautiful

spirit wings

· #4 · Mar 9, 2009

a brown splash? just a guess.

TAWhatley

· #5 · Mar 9, 2009

Well, I don't have a clue to any of the answers, but that is one gorgeous bird. I'll put a link in the genetics forum to see what the folks there have to say.

Terry

LUCKYT

· #6 · Mar 9, 2009

Well, at one time we would call it a Bronze Splash, but i am sure that is not correct.

Dave

MaryOfExeter

· #7 · Mar 9, 2009

Now that I've stared at the picture long enough, I think I'll go with bronze check splash. For all the other genetics people who come later, here's another picture of the parents (right?) that I saw in wolfwood's album

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wolfwood

Discussion Starter · #8 · Mar 9, 2009

Thanks, Becky! Yes, these are Luna's parents. This pic of mom doesn't show all the colors that are in her feathers, tho', especially on her neck - if that makes a difference.

Do you have any opinion on what color dad may really be hiding under that wonderful white coat?

jbangelfish

· #9 · Mar 12, 2009

Looks ash red to me

The baby may have sooty making false checks, best to wait for moult to be sure. I don't see anything but ash red as to color. If dad hides anything besides ash red, it will show up in his young hens.

From this one baby, I'd say dad is recessive white over ash red check but one baby is way too premature to make this assumption. What color are the white bird's eyes? If bull, he is likely to be recessive white, which can hide many colors and modifiers.

Bill

wolfwood

Discussion Starter · #10 · Mar 12, 2009

jbangelfish said:
The baby may have sooty making false checks, best to wait for moult to be sure. I don't see anything but ash red as to color. If dad hides anything besides ash red, it will show up in his young hens.

From this one baby, I'd say dad is recessive white over ash red check but one baby is way too premature to make this assumption. What color are the white bird's eyes? If bull, he is likely to be recessive white, which can hide many colors and modifiers.

Bill

Yes - bull. If all goes well, dad (white bird) will have 2 more babies in a week or so with Atlantis. Atlantis is a prior Polaris daughter, therefore, Luna's 1/2 sister and she actually does look much like Luna. Atlantis' wings have more gray / Luna has more red & Atlantis has more color splashes, where Luna's color is all on her chest and the back of her wings. An interesting comparison.

<Just to clarify...1 white cock bred with 2 hens who happen to be mother & daughter. Luna = "mother x cock"> Clear as mud?

MaryOfExeter

· #11 · Mar 12, 2009

I don't really see how Luna could be ash red

LUCKYT

· #12 · Mar 12, 2009

I have no idea Becky, but this could get interesting LOL! JUST kidding. Dave

jbangelfish

· #13 · Mar 12, 2009

Hi Becky

MaryOfExeter said:
I don't really see how Luna could be ash red

Why not? I'm not sure what you mean. I'd be happy to know your viewpoint and why.

Bill

MaryOfExeter

· #14 · Mar 12, 2009

Well, she just looks very, very blue to me. Her mom looks like an ash red, but Luna doesn't. Looks more like a blue with bronze to me

jbangelfish

· #15 · Mar 13, 2009

Hi Becky

MaryOfExeter said:
Well, she just looks very, very blue to me. Her mom looks like an ash red, but Luna doesn't. Looks more like a blue with bronze to me

This is pretty much what ash red checks look like with a darkening gene such as dirty, smoky or sooty. I'm pretty sure that it at least has sooty.

You could be right as well but I think the odds point toward ash red with a darkener and the appearance does to me as well. I can try to find some pics of similar examples. Indigo is a possibility, but is not considered one of the bronzes. I believe that it should be or at least could be named as one of the bronze genes. So could many others that aren't.

Bill

MaryOfExeter

· #16 · Mar 13, 2009

I guess I could see that. But it still looks more like blue than a darkening factor though. Indigo and bronze both looked like possibilities to me as well. Maybe if Luna gets some more brothers and sisters, we'll get to see more of what the parents have in them.

bluecheck

· #17 · Mar 13, 2009

I just saw this posting - the mom looks to be a dilute indigo. It's a bit hard to see from the angle of the shot, but I'd put probabilities at about 99.5%

Frank

jbangelfish

· #18 · Mar 13, 2009

Hi Frank

I thought she could be indigo as well but there is another shot of her somewhere that you can see her tail and it looks too light colored to me to be indigo.

I have quite a few dark ash reds in my rollers from a number of sources and none of them are indigo. I just have alot of bronzes and dirty genes. I have indigo now as well but not in my old ash reds.

I certainly can't say that she isn't but I'd put the odds more in favor of ash red and dirty genes. Still, could be indigo, can't deny it.

Take a look at the other pic of her that shows her tail and see what you think.

Bill

bluecheck

· #19 · Mar 13, 2009

I can't find the pic of the tail of the mom, but the neck shots look almost as if the bird is also carrying reduced. I don't ever remember seeing a reduced indigo, but I'm beginning to think I may have now. Where exactly are the pics of the bird's tail? By the way, Wolfwood NICE pics.

wolfwood

Discussion Starter · #20 · Mar 13, 2009 (Edited)

2

I'm REALLY enjoying this conversation (even tho' I only understand it to a point). If you guys will tell me just what kind of photos you need of which bird, we'll take 'em! Body parts, angles, what it is you're trying to see, what you're trying to confirm and/or rule out, etc. Mom does have quite a bit of color on her neck!

Mom (Polaris) is on the right. The other bird (Atlantis) is also Polaris' daughter ...

Also Polaris...

btw, Luna will not have any 100% siblings. Atlantis is Luna's 1/2 sister (Polaris is mom to both) and Atlantis is currently setting 2 eggs (same Homer dad as Luna). We have 2 Roller/Oriental Frill crosses currently in quarantine, who will be paired with Polaris & Atlantis ... we may let them each raise a clutch but the jury's still out on that one, too....but, by choice, Calypso (dad - white Homer) will not be allowed to breed again with either Polaris or Atlantis.

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