Mimicry???

[Rico_Tiel]

So, I have a budgie (cricket) and I got her in May. I think she’s a she, but now I’m starting to think she might be a he? Anyway…

I believe she is mimicking my cockatiel, Rico. And this just started today. She makes a quiet, version of Rico’s fear/angry-at-the-human screech. At least, it sounds that way to me. Today, I was playing L4D2 on the couch, and I would think I hear Rico out of his cage, shrieking about something outside of the window (I sometimes forget to latch his cage, I know, it’s pretty stupid of me to do. But I have been getting better about it.), and I will go in and check, and Rico is in his latched cage. I would go back to the couch, and hear them making noise, and then…. SKREEEE! SKREEE! like Rico’s shrieks. I investigate, rinse and repeat. Until I get the idea to listen in. I press my ear against to door, and it’s coming from cricket. It’s so convincing.

Is mimicry normal for hens? She isn’t DNA tested but she looks and behaves like a hen, but she mimics Rico so accurately like a male.

 

[Keet_Krazy]

I think have said before she is a she. Genetically Lutinos are more likely to be girls, and she looks it.
 Yes, girls can mimic!
That's very cute she's mimicking Rico 😊

 

[DonnaBudgie]

So, I have a budgie (cricket) and I got her in May. I think she’s a she, but now I’m starting to think she might be a he? Anyway…

I believe she is mimicking my cockatiel, Rico. And this just started today. She makes a quiet, version of Rico’s fear/angry-at-the-human screech. At least, it sounds that way to me. Today, I was playing L4D2 on the couch, and I would think I hear Rico out of his cage, shrieking about something outside of the window (I sometimes forget to latch his cage, I know, it’s pretty stupid of me to do. But I have been getting better about it.), and I will go in and check, and Rico is in his latched cage. I would go back to the couch, and hear them making noise, and then…. SKREEEE! SKREEE! like Rico’s shrieks. I investigate, rinse and repeat. Until I get the idea to listen in. I press my ear against to door, and it’s coming from cricket. It’s so convincing.

Is mimicry normal for hens? She isn’t DNA tested but she looks and behaves like a hen, but she mimics Rico so accurately like a male.

I think it's normal for hens, yes. They aren't well known for mimicking speech but my girlie Rocky says "baby bird". Cricket is how old now? The cere usually is unmistakably starting to look distinctive male by four months old. when Rocky was that old I was certain she was a female because her cere was pale bluish white and not getting a deeper blue and not pinkish purple either. Since lutino is a sex linked trait, female lutino budgies are much more common than males.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I think it's normal for hens, yes. They aren't well known for mimicking speech but my girlie Rocky says "baby bird". Cricket is how old now? The cere usually is unmistakably starting to look distinctive male by four months old. when Rocky was that old I was certain she was a female because her cere was pale bluish white and not getting a deeper blue and not pinkish purple either. Since lutino is a sex linked trait, female lutino budgies are much more common than males.

Since I began letting Beau and Rocky play together outside their cages, I have especially noticed how different their vocalizations are. Beau warbles in a much more "musical" way than Rocky does. It's like he's singing softly to her while puffing up his head and throat and she pays close attention to him "beak to beak" and puffs up her head too but she never warbles back. They also feed each other a bit though I'm not sure who's feeding who. I'm surprised Rocky is so gentle with Beau. I thought she might attack him since she had never had physical contact with another budgie and has such a "strong personality" but she's very nice to him. He follows her around like a puppy but she doesn't mind. Left to their own devices I'm pretty sure they would try to breed.

 

[Rico_Tiel]

I think have said before she is a she. Genetically Lutinos are more likely to be girls, and she looks it.
 Yes, girls can mimic!
That's very cute she's mimicking Rico 😊

This makes is easy to understand and quite useful! Thank you! I remember lutino being sex linked but I couldn’t remember if it was males or females. I knew hens in most species can mimic, but for some reason I thought it wasn’t very likely in hens. Dunno why, guess it’s just because my brain isn’t much bigger than a grape haha

It is super cute! And she is scary good at it too. When recording it, it sounds like Rico and NO ONE believes me when I say she’s mimicking him when they see that vid, because of how accurate it is!

 

[Rico_Tiel]

I think it's normal for hens, yes. They aren't well known for mimicking speech but my girlie Rocky says "baby bird". Cricket is how old now? The cere usually is unmistakably starting to look distinctive male by four months old. when Rocky was that old I was certain she was a female because her cere was pale bluish white and not getting a deeper blue and not pinkish purple either. Since lutino is a sex linked trait, female lutino budgies are much more common than males.

I’ve never really heard of hens mimicking, so I found this both odd, fascinating, and quite frankly, shocking. Especially since she is so good at it, hitting a pitch so close, it’s rather hard to tell if it’s her or Rico! It’s most of the noises she makes now, even adding his quieter chatter.

She should be roughly 5 months in the next week or so. Her irises are much more noticeable now, and her cere is still that white color. But she likes to try and regurgitate for her swing sometimes. She chatters most of the day, and enjoys making the most annoying and/or unholy noises to wake me up. Birds are great, are t they? Haha

I knew lutinos were sex linked, but I just couldn’t remember if it were males or females.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Girl birds are XY and boys are XX. It's opposite in humans. Lutino is carried on the X. Since Lutino is recessive AND sex linked, it takes two affected X chromosomes to have a Lutino male but only one to have a Lutino female.
Opaline is also a sex linked recessive so there are many more Opaline girls than boys. All the daughters of an opaline male are opaline and all the daughters of a Lutino male are Lutino.

 

[Rico_Tiel]

Girl birds are XY and boys are XX. It's opposite in humans. Lutino is carried on the X. Since Lutino is recessive AND sex linked, it takes two affected X chromosomes to have a Lutino male but only one to have a Lutino female.
Opaline is also a sex linked recessive so there are many more Opaline girls than boys. All the daughters of an opaline male are opaline and all the daughters of a Lutino male are Lutino.

Holy cow! this is so fascinating! How did I not know this? That is so cool!!

 

[Keet_Krazy]

. I knew hens in most species can mimic, but for some reason I thought it wasn’t very likely in hens. Dunno why, guess it’s just because my brain isn’t much bigger than a grape haha

Maybe it's because people tend to keep singular males rather then females, so most talking budgies you see are boys. I know of someone online with female who talks, she used to be kept single but now she has a boy friend.

It is super cute! And she is scary good at it too. When recording it, it sounds like Rico and NO ONE believes me when I say she’s mimicking him when they see that vid, because of how accurate it is!

Parrots are very skilled mimics! My Galah has tricked people with his goat mimicry

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Holy cow! this is so fascinating! How did I not know this? That is so cool!!

I took genetics in college when I was studying for my BS in medical lab science. We got to breed fruit flies in lab and learned all about inheritance. Not complex stuff but basic dominant, recessive, sex linkage, etc.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Maybe it's because people tend to keep singular males rather then females, so most talking budgies you see are boys. I know of someone online with female who talks, she used to be kept single but now she has a boy friend.

Parrots are very skilled mimics! My Galah has tricked people with his goat mimicry

I love listening to cockatoos bark and sound exactly like dogs.

 

[Rico_Tiel]

Maybe it's because people tend to keep singular males rather then females, so most talking budgies you see are boys. I know of someone online with female who talks, she used to be kept single but now she has a boy friend.

Parrots are very skilled mimics! My Galah has tricked people with his goat mimicry

You’re probably onto something there. Especially since hens have a rep for being nippy and mean, so less people probably keep just one hen.

That they are! I just find it so interesting, even if it’s something like a whistle, beep, or a simple sound, it’s still so fascinating to me. Especially when they figure out what the word means and can use it in the right context. Like dropping food and saying “oh.” Or saying “have some?” When someone has food. Parrots are so cool!

Your galah makes goat sounds?! Omg that is adorable! I guess you could say he is…. The GOAT? I’m sorry, cringe pun lmao

 

[Rico_Tiel]

I took genetics in college when I was studying for my BS in medical lab science. We got to breed fruit flies in lab and learned all about inheritance. Not complex stuff but basic dominant, recessive, sex linkage, etc.

That is so cool! What was breeding the flies like? Got any forbidden knowledge from these classes you want to share? Also, what would happen if you bred a Lutino budgie with a rainbow spangle?

 

[Jcas]

Girl birds are XY and boys are XX. It's opposite in humans. Lutino is carried on the X. Since Lutino is recessive AND sex linked, it takes two affected X chromosomes to have a Lutino male but only one to have a Lutino female.
Opaline is also a sex linked recessive so there are many more Opaline girls than boys. All the daughters of an opaline male are opaline and all the daughters of a Lutino male are Lutino.

That’s fascinating, I had no idea that opalines were more likely to be female! I’ve had three opaline budgies and two of them ( Bogey and Grant) were males. My only female opaline is my current budgie, Fay. I didn’t realize that the colors were sex-linked that way; birds are so fun. They always keep me learning!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

That is so cool! What was breeding the flies like? Got any forbidden knowledge from these classes you want to share? Also, what would happen if you bred a Lutino budgie with a rainbow spangle?

I'm going to have to think about what babies would result if a Lutino female bred with and a rainbow spangle male. There are a lot of mutations involved! If the rainbow male doesn't carry the recessive Lutino gene, none of the baby girls would be Lutino and all the baby boys would carry the Lutino gene but appear non-lutino. If the spangle7çhe male carried the Lutino gene on one of his x chromosomes, half the girls would be Lutino half the boys would be Lutino.

Breeding fruit flies was kinda fun. What I remember most was that when we had to examine and count the offspring under a low power microscope we had to expose the little flies to ether to put them to sleep temporarily. If we didn't count them fast enough the ether would wear off and they would fly away, filling the lab up with escapees!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

That’s fascinating, I had no idea that opalines were more likely to be female! I’ve had three opaline budgies and two of them ( Bogey and Grant) were males. My only female opaline is my current budgie, Fay. I didn’t realize that the colors were sex-linked that way; birds are so fun. They always keep me learning!

I' have two opaline males right now and had another one that died. I have three opalline females now, too. The opaline gene is much more common in budgies than the ino gene which makes Lutinos in green series budgies and Albinos in blue series budgies. Too bad the ino gene isn't more common.

 

[Rico_Tiel]

I'm going to have to think about what babies would result if a Lutino female bred with and a rainbow spangle male. There are a lot of mutations involved! If the rainbow male doesn't carry the recessive Lutino gene, none of the baby girls would be Lutino and all the baby boys would carry the Lutino gene but appear non-lutino. If the spangle7çhe male carried the Lutino gene on one of his x chromosomes, half the girls would be Lutino half the boys would be Lutino.

Breeding fruit flies was kinda fun. What I remember most was that when we had to examine and count the offspring under a low power microscope we had to expose the little flies to ether to put them to sleep temporarily. If we didn't count them fast enough the ether would wear off and they would fly away, filling the lab up with escapees!

Holy cow!!!! That’s so cool! You’re really smart! Bird are so cool!

Ew I don’t think I could deal with fruit flies everywhere! When I was 9, our house was SWARMED with them one summer and when I was seven I left my screen off my window one day and I had normal flies everywhere!

 

[Rico_Tiel]

Update: she does not make budgie sound, she is now a cockatiel.

She is no longer a budgie, she is a cockatiel in disguise!!

Also, look at them flighties! She can travel like 12 feet across my room! From the playstand to my TV table! Not full flight YET, but very soon 👀

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Update: she does not make budgie sound, she is now a cockatiel.

She is no longer a budgie, she is a cockatiel in disguise!! View attachment 54185
Also, look at them flighties! She can travel like 12 feet across my room! From the playstand to my TV table! Not full flight YET, but very soon 👀

Yeah Cricket! You can FLY!

 

[Rico_Tiel]

Yeah Cricket! You can FLY!

Not quite! She can make quite the distance though! She can fly to Rico’s cage or to the tv stand (12 or so feet away)!