Mutation 1 - Pied The oldest recorded mutation in the society finch is the pied. The mutation causes a white blotchy color pattern to appear on any background color EXCEPT albino. So pieds can exists as chocolate, chestnut, fawn, pearl, creamino, gray, and dilute pied, etc. The best interpretation of pied is that it permanently impairs full expression of color across the body of the bird. The extent of the pied expression is variable and probably influenced by something called "penetrance" (i.e. the level of expression of the gene as influenced by genetic background and environment). In societies there are reported to be two pied "genes". To my knowledge there is no breeding data to support this statement. However, one is often called recessive (or better "mottled pied") and it normally causes the only 10 to 50% of the bird to be white. The next page discusses marked white and dark eyed white. |
