Green is the normal wildtype color. Blue is a mutation that removes the yellow color from the bird. Blue plus yellow equals green, so when you subtract the yellow from green you're left with blue.

The whiteface mutation cockatiels is the same gene as the blue mutation in other species. It removes the yellow color from the bird the same way it does in other species, but since cockatiels weren't green to begin with you don't get a blue bird.

Interesting!

These are the parents.......the blue one (Frost) is the mommy, and the 2nd one (Thunder) is daddy. So I don't really know how the mutation thing works about what the chances of which genes they'll get.....Carolyn could probably tell you more about that. And I'm not positive on the mutations either.

so... who is the yellow one - a child of them?
Lovely birds!

Beautiful budgies....

No......I got him at a pet store 2 years ago He doesn't have a mate, and always seems to be hanging with the cockatiels but they don't really like him. I've always wanted to get him a mate, but is it possible he might find a mate in my clutch with thunder and frost?