Setting the Record Straight on Mutations Published in Bird Breeder Magazine, Breeder Q & A, November 1994 © 1994 Howard Voren The contents of this web page, including all text and photographs are copyrighted material. No part of this page may be reproduced, in whole or part, without the express permission of the author, PO Box 152, Loxahatchee, FL 33470

Q: Your column in the August 1994 issue of BIRD BREEDER states that so far all lutino mutations have proven to be sex linked. This is not true. There are several examples in lovebirds that disprove your statement. Would it not have been better to say "almost all?" Also, in the same column, you state that cinnamon can be either sex linked or recessive and that the word 'fallow" is interchangeable with "cinnamon." In order to alleviate the confusion between cinnamon and fallow, it has become the custom in Europe to refer to sex-linked versions as cinnamon and recessive versions as fallow. Would it not be a good idea to follow along with this in order to eliminate confusion? A:The subject of mutations is so vast that my intention was to confine my answer to the specific question asked. The inquiry was about the mutations that are beginning to show up in conures. I also recommended that the work that has been done thus far with ring necked parakeets serve as a guide. Within this frame of reference, my statement is factual. So far, all lutino mutations have proven to be sex linked in New World parrots, as well as the ring neck family. The column went awry because the editors chose to use a photo of a lutino lovebird to illustrate my statement. My mention of lovebirds, along with cockatiels and ring necks, at the end of the column as examples of birds that have continually mutated due to inbreeding is what led them to believe that it was not a mistake. I, however, must take responsibility because I did not pay attention to the proposed captions when the edited version was sent to me for approval. I apologize for my oversight. As far as eliminating confusion by following the lead of the Europeans, I agree that we must fall in line sooner or later. Unfortunately, doing so at this moment might actually cause more confusion. The latest mutation of the Pyrrhura conure and, in fact, the one that the inquirer was asking about was "declared" by "experts" in the United States who visually inspected the bird to be a fallow, not a cinnamon. I have inquired several times as to how they made this determination. I have yet to get a straight answer. All I am told is that the decision has been made and that it is correct. This, of course, disregards that fact that the mutation is sex linked. I do not believe that debating the validity of this "declaration" on the grounds of a newly accepted custom in Europe would be fruitful at this point in time. Article Index