Bourke's Parrot colour mutations
7 Bourke's Parrot colour mutations, with the inheritance of each, how it looks, and whether a bird can be split for it.
| Mutation | Inheritance | Looks | Can be split? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosa (pink) | Sex-linked recessive | A strong pink on the body instead of brown; the most widespread. | Only males can be carriers; the female either shows it or does not carry it |
| Lutino | Sex-linked recessive | Yellow/pink with red eyes. | Only males can be carriers; the female either shows it or does not carry it |
| Rubino (lutino + rosa) | Combination | Yellow and intense pink with red eyes. | Depends on the component mutations |
| Cream / pale fallow | Autosomal recessive | Diluted with red eyes. | Yes – the male and female can be carriers (split) without it showing |
| Isabelle (cinnamon) | Sex-linked recessive | A warm light brown. | Only males can be carriers; the female either shows it or does not carry it |
| Yellow | Unknown | Mentioned in Wikipedia without an inheritance pattern. | Unknown |
| Blue | Autosomal recessive | Grey/blue without pink or yellow; rare. | Yes – the male and female can be carriers (split) without it showing |
The Zajel app has a genetics calculator that shows the expected chick colours of any pair before you pair them.