Australian White Cap Text and Pictures by Don

Australian White Cap Text and Pictures by Don Burke Edited by Kathy Manton May 2018

Evolution of the White Cap Variety �White Caps were first recognised in 2003 in the aviaries of Graeme Kerle in Townsville in Queensland. He worked with Kevin O’Callaghan of Rockhampton to get this variety going. Graeme’s original pairing which produced the mutation was an Ernie Wise English Yellow Faced Opaline Cobalt hen to a Robert Manvell Spangle grey cock. �Originally named “Seafoam” because of the body colour produced on the normal sky blue series in this variety, in 2014 this was changed by the Australian National Budgerigar Council to Australian White Cap. (In my view, and in the light of my discoveries about this weird mutation, both names are needed).

�Budgie breeders all over the world have dreamed of the possibility of producing a “White-Faced Green”: a green budgie with a white face. �Well the prototype has finally arrived in Australia. � A new mutation has appeared, a green budgie with a white forehead – the White Cap (WC) Green. . . White Cap Green - bred by Don Burke

� White Cap “Seafoam” Sky - bred by Don Burke Single factor / blue White Caps are colloquially called Seafoams by some breeders: exquisite sea-green body colour with a light yellow mask, a white forehead and white ground colour on the wings. � Double factor WCs, ie White Cap Greens, are indistinguishable at maturity from true greens except that they have the creamy-white forehead and some white areas on the mask.

• How’s this for a little baby of a new mutation? For once a new mutation has turned up in a decent line of budgies! This is a baby White Cap Sky “Seafoam”. Nest feather White Cap – bred by Don Burke

�It is clear from my genetic testing that White Cap Greens have no green genes in them at all. They do not carry any blue genes either. That is, they are neither greens nor blues – they are just double factor White Caps. Probably the world’s first White Cap Clearwing ! - bred by Don Burke

White Cap Green baby. Note thin, greenish cheek patch and the paucity of baby spots. His white head colour is just appearing behind his yellow area above the cere. � New Observations on White Caps In a previous article on White Cap budgies, I mentioned that it seemed to me that the White Cap mutation appeared to be a mutation of the Cheek Patch controlling gene. I said this since the only area on a green or a yellowfaced budgie that is totally devoid of yellow pigment is the cheek patch. In particular, yellow is almost impossible to eradicate from the face of green or yellowface budgies. I realise that this new theory seems weird, but this cheek patch theory seemed the only possible mechanism that could create the White Cap Green. Well, on closer inspection of my baby White Cap Greens, some tantalising evidence has emerged to support my weird theory. The WC Greens have a significantly different mask structure than either normal blues, normal greens, or WC Seafoams. The baby WC Green has a markedly reduced, thinner cheek patch than normals or even WC Seafoams. The cheek patch is also a bit greenish in colour and shows some striping as well. The spots are also quite reduced when compared to their WC Seafoam nest-siblings. It was very interesting to see whether this pattern is retained in the adult WC Greens. As they matured, their spots became very large, going against the general pattern.

�Below is the sister White Cap Green of the young cock in the previous slide above. Note the same striated, thin and greenish cheek patches, and lack of spots. • Above is the sibling White Cap Sky “Seafoam” baby hen with a normal mask and cheek patch configuration: very different to the WC Greens. One other sibling WC Seafoam and a sibling normal blue had masks like this WC Seafoam. All babies are approximately the same age.

�This is a Whitecap Light Green (left), about one week from leaving the nest. Apart from a richer greenish hue on the body, notice the strong True Yellow colour above the cere. The white areas are further back on the crown of the head as they are characteristically in all White Cap greens. As this bird moults out, the rich green body colour and the bright golden mask will appear. White Cap Sky “seafoam” just ready to leave the nest.

GENETICS (Simplified): The genetics of the WC variety is now well established. WC Greens have been produced by mating two WC Seafoams together - that is NO GREEN parent was used. Equally, all WC Greens, when mated to a blue* budgie produce 100% WC Seafoams. The breeding ratios are considered to be Dominant: - WC Seafoam x Blue* = 50% WC Seafoams + 50% Blues. - WC Seafoam x WC Seafoam = 50% WC Seafoam + 25% WC Green + 25% Blues. - WC Seafoam x WC Green = 50% WC Seafoam + 50% WC Green. - WC Green x WC Green = 100% WC Green. -WC Green x Blue = 100% WC Seafoam. (*Blue meaning any ordinary Blue variety of budgie). It would seem quite foolish to ever mate any White Cap to a genuine Green budgie. This would produce greens masking White Cap, thus wasting otherwise useful birds.

White Caps are SUCH a fun variety to breed! Every nest full of babies is a treasure trove of colours. The birds above are lovely examples of White Caps, bred by breeders in Australia. Special mention should be made to the budgerigar fanciers who have contributed to the advancement, breeding and promotion of the White Cap mutation. These breeders include Ernie Wise, Graeme Kerle and Kevin O’Callaghan. Don Burke ensured the continued progression and long term survival of the White Cap mutation by supplying birds of this wonderful variety to fanciers around Australia, including: Rob Hugo (WA), Betty Rae (WA), Ted & Barbara Wallis (NSW), Rod Skivington (Vic), Ernie Wise NSW) and Gary Gazzard (amongst others).

Australian White Cap � The Budgerigar Society of New South Wales hope that you enjoy viewing the lovely White Caps on display here at this, the 44 th ANBC National Budgerigar Show. . . Thank you to Don Burke for providing most of the information and photos for this presentation.