Budgie Color Breeding Chart, Complete Visual Reference

Every budgerigar breeder needs a reference chart. Six base colours. Twenty-four documented mutations. Three inheritance types. Hundreds of possible combinations. This guide brings them all into one visual reference you can come back to whenever a pairing question comes up. Save the page, share it with your aviary partner, and use the linked calculator to model any specific pairing in detail.

Written by Ayaan Shohan

Founder, KinBird Aviary · Bangladesh

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How to read this chart

Three pieces of information are essential when looking at any budgerigar pairing. First, the base colour of each parent. Second, the mutations carried by each parent. Third, the inheritance type of each mutation. Get all three right and the pairing prediction follows.

The chart below organises every mutation by inheritance type because the inheritance type determines how the mutation passes from parents to chicks. Sex-linked recessive mutations behave differently than autosomal recessive mutations. Autosomal incompletely dominant mutations have an extra SF/DF distinction that recessives do not.

For any pairing you want to model precisely, use the calculator at budgerigargenetics.com with the base colour and mutation status set for each parent. The tutorial guide walks through the calculator workflow step by step. For deep coverage of any specific mutation in the chart, click the mutation name to read its dedicated long-form guide.

The six base colours, your starting point

Every pairing prediction starts with the base colour. Without knowing the base, you cannot predict the chick colour even if you know every mutation.

Green-series birds can also be split for Blue, meaning they carry one Blue gene but visually look green. The dropdown in the calculator shows these as Light Green / Blue, Dark Green / Blue, or Olive Green / Blue. Pairing a green-series bird split for Blue with another carrier or with a blue-series bird can produce blue-series chicks.

The Dark Factor article covers the 1:2:1 Mendelian inheritance for Cobalt x Cobalt pairings.

Sex-linked recessive mutations chart

Six budgerigar mutations sit on the Z chromosome. These mutations follow sex-linked recessive inheritance, which means cocks (ZZ) can be visual, split, or free of the mutation while hens (ZW) can only be visual or free of it. Hens cannot be split for any sex-linked recessive mutation. The auto-sex pairing trick (cock visual + hen Normal = daughters all visual, sons all split) works for every mutation in this category.

The Auto-Sex Pairing Guide covers how to colour-sex chicks at hatch for every mutation in this category.

Autosomal recessive mutations chart

Ten budgerigar mutations are autosomal recessive. Both sexes inherit identically. A bird needs two copies to express the mutation. Split birds look Normal but carry one copy invisibly. The 1:2:1 Mendelian ratio applies for split x split pairings (25% visual, 50% split, 25% no gene).

Three of these mutations form the dil-locus allelic series (Clearwing, Greywing, Dilute). Pairing different alleles together produces the unique Fullbody Greywing hetero-allelic phenotype. The three Fallow mutations are at three different non-allelic loci, so cross-Fallow pairings produce Normal-looking split-both chicks rather than visible Fallow chicks.

Autosomal incompletely dominant mutations chart

Eight budgerigar mutations are autosomal incompletely dominant. Both sexes inherit identically. A bird has either zero copies, one copy (SF, Single Factor), or two copies (DF, Double Factor). SF and DF birds are visually distinguishable.

Manto Negro (Brazilian Black Mantle) is autosomal dominant (not incompletely dominant) so cannot hide as a split.

Inheritance type cheat sheet

The practical implication of the inheritance type is the prediction math for each pairing. Sex-linked recessive pairings produce sex-separated outputs (cocks one column, hens another). Autosomal pairings produce a single combined output.

Emergent phenotypes from combined mutations

Three phenotypes appear when specific mutations combine, even though they are not separate mutations themselves.

The calculator auto-detects these emergent phenotypes in offspring output. You will see DEC (SF) or DEC (DF) labelled explicitly when the combination occurs, rather than separately listing Clearflight plus Recessive Pied.

Common pairings worth knowing

The judge-validated engine rules

Six rules in the calculator engine cover edge cases that standard Mendelian math misses. WBO Certified Judges Abdelrahman Khedr, Md Mojammel Hossain, and Dewan MD Salim validated these rules during the engine development phase.

Rule one. Yellow Face and Goldenface are masked on green-series birds. The yellow gene is present but invisible because the green body pigment masks the additional yellow.

Rule two. Opaline masks Black Face when both are visible. The Opaline pattern dominates the visible phenotype.

Rule three. Lacewing is Cinnamon plus Ino crossover on the Z chromosome. Per Inte Onsman MUTAVI Research 2007.

Rule four. Dil-locus co-dominance produces Fullbody Greywing (FBG). Clearwing allele plus Greywing allele = FBG, not Clearwing.

Rule five. Ino-locus allelic series. Texas Clearbody dominates over Ino on the Z chromosome.

Rule six. Dark-Eyed Clear auto-detection. Clearflight Pied (SF or DF) plus visible Recessive Pied = DEC.

The Complete Budgerigar Genetics Guide covers each rule with examples. The How-To tutorial shows how the rules play out in calculator output.

Using this chart with the calculator

This chart is a quick visual reference. For any specific pairing prediction, plug the data into the calculator at budgerigargenetics.com.

The workflow is straightforward. Pick each parent's base colour from the chart and select it in the calculator. Pick each parent's mutations from the chart and add them with the correct status (visual, split, SF, or DF). Read the offspring output. The calculator handles all 24 mutations, the dil-locus and ino-locus allelic series, the six judge-validated rules, and the three emergent phenotypes automatically.

For a step-by-step walkthrough of the calculator workflow, read the How to Use the Calculator tutorial. For the comprehensive genetic theory behind the chart, read the Complete Budgerigar Genetics Guide. For detailed deep dives on any single mutation, click the mutation name in the chart above to open its dedicated long-form article.

Bookmark this page and come back to it whenever a pairing question comes up. Share it with your aviary partner or your breeder mentor. The reference is free, no account required, no signup.

Frequently asked questions about color breeding chart

How many budgerigar mutations exist in 2026?

Twenty-four documented mutations are modelled by the Budgerigar Genetics Calculator at budgerigargenetics.com. Six sex-linked recessive (Opaline, Cinnamon, Ino, Lacewing, Slate, Texas Clearbody). Ten autosomal recessive (Recessive Pied, German Fallow, English Fallow, Scottish Fallow, Clearwing, Greywing, Dilute, Black Face, Blackwing, Saddleback). Eight autosomal incompletely dominant (Grey, Violet, Yellow Face/Goldenface, Spangle, Dominant Pied, Clearflight Pied, Anthracite, Easley Clearbody). Dark Factor is built into base colour names. Manto Negro is autosomal dominant.

What are the six base colours for budgerigars?

Light Green, Dark Green, Olive Green for the green series with 0, 1, or 2 dark factors. Sky Blue, Cobalt, Mauve for the blue series with 0, 1, or 2 dark factors. Green-series birds can also be split for Blue (carry one Blue allele but look green).

How do I tell which mutation type I am dealing with?

Look at how the bird inherits the trait. Sex-linked recessive mutations only show in females from their single Z chromosome, and only show in males from both Z chromosomes. Autosomal recessive mutations need two copies in either sex. Autosomal incompletely dominant mutations show with one copy (SF) or stronger with two (DF). The chart in this article organises every mutation by type.

Can a hen be split for Opaline or Cinnamon?

No. Hens are ZW with only one Z chromosome, so they either show a sex-linked recessive mutation visually or do not carry the gene at all. The split state does not exist for hens at sex-linked loci. The calculator deliberately does not offer the split option for hens with sex-linked mutations.

What is Fullbody Greywing (FBG)?

FBG is the hetero-allelic phenotype produced when a bird carries one Clearwing allele and one Greywing allele at the dil-locus. The bird shows the bright body of Clearwing combined with the faded wing markings of Greywing. FBG cannot breed true. FBG paired with FBG produces 25 percent Clearwing, 50 percent FBG, 25 percent Greywing.

Where can I use this chart to predict my pairing?

Use the calculator at https://budgerigargenetics.com/. Select base colour and mutations for each parent based on the chart, then read the offspring output. The calculator handles all 24 mutations correctly including allelic series and emergent phenotypes. Free, no account required.

Browse by inheritance type: Sex-Linked (6) · Autosomal Recessive (11) · Autosomal Incomp. Dominant (10) · Guides & Tools (10)

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