# Some pictures and colors to ponder



## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

I have three birds I want to show you guys.

The first one is a strange light ash-red check. Never seen one like this. Sure, I've seen lots of light blue checks, but many in red. This one seems to get less and less checks all the time. It's not fully done moulting yet, but you get the idea. It always had little clusters of checks here and there. When it was younger, I thought it and its sibling were strawberries (sooty ash-red), as the dad was too. The other was more usual looking in it's 'checks'. This one just looks odd, so I thought I'd share.

The second is black I suppose. You can see the bars so you know it's a blue bar underneath. I know some heavy dirty blues can look black, but this one is pretty much solid black despite the visible lines in the pattern. The question here is if it's a grizzle or not. The underside is what looks more grizzle-like. Black grizzle? Plain black?

The third is a dark check with some pied markings on the chest. Again with the chest/undersides and some of the shield looking slightly grizzled. Thoughts? Grizzle or no?

Both the 'black' birds were not bred by me so I have no input on the parents colors.

http://picasaweb.google.com/MaryOfExeter/September20th2009#

Edit: Also the last one definitely has some bronze in it. Doesn't make a difference but just thought I'd point it out.
Edit #2: Another thought. I think both the last two are also dirty. Maybe. What do you think?


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Very handsome birds, Becky! As you know, I have NO clue about any of the genetics stuff. Hopefully some of your genetics compadres will be along soon.

Terry


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## jbangelfish (Mar 22, 2008)

*Hi Becky*



MaryOfExeter said:


> I have three birds I want to show you guys.
> 
> The first one is a strange light ash-red check. Never seen one like this. Sure, I've seen lots of light blue checks, but many in red. This one seems to get less and less checks all the time. It's not fully done moulting yet, but you get the idea. It always had little clusters of checks here and there. When it was younger, I thought it and its sibling were strawberries (sooty ash-red), as the dad was too. The other was more usual looking in it's 'checks'. This one just looks odd, so I thought I'd share.
> 
> ...


The ash red might just be a het sooty, showing just a small amount of false checks, similar to het check (light check). It could also be a very light het check.

I don't think the second is black, shows a tail bar, should not be spread. It likely has sooty and maybe dirty and smoky, just making a darker bird. Seems to me this is like a slate, just a dark blue bar. I think sooty and smoky together can make for some of the light and dark belly colors, some call them flour bellies.

The third does look to have some grizzle and or maybe even pied, looks t pattern and maybe sooty too. The tail bar is more obvious on this one, showing that it is not spread. There is an albescent strip so not **** smoky but could be het. 

In birds that are **** dirty, if their color permits you to see it, you can sometimes see a horizontal line across the chest, darker above, lighter below. Young birds with dirty also have very dark feet.

When all these darkeners come together, it can be difficult to tell which ones are there but they do tend to have their own markers.

Bill


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Ah. Thank you! I was really hoping on that one being black, but I knew the visible bars weren't a good sign. Oh well. Let's just hope they'll win some races!


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

I love the color of that first bird...sooty ash red??? love the light colors.


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