Shocking image of rare budgie

Autumn

New member
Oct 21, 2010
235
Media
3
2
California
Parrots
PePe; Dusky Conure
If you're squeamish don't scroll down. .









602931_409383652488206_1450693601_n_zps4be8d64b.jpg

Half-Sider Budgie. Very rare and born sterile.


Found it on other bird brain website
 

DannyA93

New member
Jan 22, 2012
687
0
Las Cruces, NM
Parrots
Pineapple Turquoise Greencheek Conure-Ivy❤️, Male Cockatiel-Lusa (aka Bub =D)
I wish i had one of those just to have best of both worlds!:) they are gorgeous!
 

crimson

New member
Oct 8, 2012
3,223
Media
5
6
Ontario,Canada
Parrots
Senegal-Martini,1 pineapple conure~ Kahlua,1 GCC~ Flare, spl/b, 4 Lovebirds Halo,Tye-Die,Luna,Violet,8 Cockatiels,Num Num&Tundra,8-Ball&Angus,Magnet&Sunkist,Pearl, Blush, 1 gouldian finch, 7 canaries
that is amazing, he's so beautiful and unique!

I saw a half sider lovebird just a while ago, and was very beautiful. pure white on one side and dark factor on the other.

just curious, why is he sterile?
 

MonicaMc

Well-known member
Sep 12, 2012
7,960
Media
2
43
Parrots
Mitred Conure - Charlie 1994;
Cockatiel - Casey 2001;
Wild Caught ARN - Sylphie 2013
Half siders, aka chimeras, are the result of two different genetic materials being fused together into one being.

Some are sterile, some are fertile, but it really depends on the genetics that are fused together. A bird could be male/male, male/female, or female/female. I can't say that it's been documented in parrots, but if a bird is born male/female halfsider (in theory, would require more research), then it may have been born with both sexual organs. One sex may be dominant over the other, so you might end up with a fertile bird after all, or the two might nullify each other and you have a sterile bird. In the same sex halfsiders, it may depend on how the bird was 'fused together' as to the fertility of the bird.


It's a subject that I'd love to know more about! But what I do know is that some halfsiders are in fact fertile and it was through breeding these birds that we were able to figure out that it is a genetic anomaly/defect and not a mutation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimera_(genetics)



Of the species I can recall, chimeras/halfsiders have been seen in budgies, lovebirds, indian ringnecks and eclectus. This is speaking strictly of parrot species, not other bird/animal species where it's also been documented.




If we did more genetic/DNA testing on parrots, we might discover more chimeras that we didn't know about simply because the birds didn't show it visually.
 

kc_y0

New member
Nov 17, 2011
1,530
Media
2
1
Sydney
Parrots
Eclectus Female - Audrey.
Art - Budgie.
Astro - Budgie.
Mini - Budgie, RIP gorgeous girl.

Most Reactions

Latest posts

Top