Color maturation and which green is this?

[NorthernGannet]

For better or worse, I brought home a 4 month old yesterday (and yes, I declined a wing clipping). All I can say is that the breeder kept calling this a normal green, but based on the mutation photos at eddiesaviary site, and the fact that I myself would not call this a 'kelly' green, I am thinking it's either a dark factor or an olive. To me he looks olive in person (more brown/yellow based) but then there's the one forehead photo that looks like barrrrrely some blue/turquoise may be showing, so maybe he's dark? But it also got me to wondering how drastically the coloration will change as the bird matures. Since I know very little about the coloring factors, for all I know this really is an immature normal green. Any color experts out there?

-NG

 

[Dona]

Oh my gosh you did it! Your baby looks darling but not normal green to me. I think dark green or olive. Here is Gigi at 2 months, the same bright green she is now, and she does still have that very subtle blue wash over her head.

How is it going? When will you introduce the baby to Sprite?

 

[Leih]

I know nothing about the mutations but he looks olive in the photos. He's so adorable! I just love the sweet linnie faces. My boys love those plastic curly straw things you've got in there!

 

[NorthernGannet]

Thanks you two! It's good to know that Gigi looks the same, so I guess they are what-you-see-is-what-you-get. Yes, I can't believe I actually took the plunge, even the morning of I was having second thoughts! I'm such a wimp sometimes. Anyhow, I had my heart set on a Gigi colored bird, and obviously when I saw this one (who turned out to be the only one left!) in person and could tell he wasn't a Gigi after all, I had to make the choice of buying or not. After handling him a bit and seeing a little of his temperment, I opted to bring him home because I felt the personality would be a good compliment with Sprite. I'm happy with him and I do like his color even though it's more muted. He does have nice barring on his back, which is cool (Sprite does not). His breastbone felt a bit prominent to me when initially handling him, and the scale verified that today, so I think I'll wait a little before putting them together, hopefully he'll gain a bit. So far he only wants to eat millet. He just stares at everything else I put in or hold up to him. Lol. Part of it may be the newness of everything, 1.5 days isn't really fair I do think they will get along just fine.

And he actually comes with a repetoire! A male voice says "hey birdy birdy" and a female voice says "pretty pretty BIRD!". LOL!! And he's waaaaay more sure footed than Sprite, and much faster too (basically he's a typical bird). He scoots really fast and smooth like a streamlined cockroach upside down across the top of his cage; puts his beak against the bars and zooms!! Sprite just slowly meanders, one Eyore step at a time. Lol. And yes, I'm presuming he's a he based on the amount of black on his tail. I'll do dna test soon though, just because I like to know.

Oh and I just gotta say .... he smells. I'm a non-smoker and he came from a smoking environment (didn't know this til I got there). And guess what, his feathers have absorbed that. I spray bathed him today with just water, didn't really help. I presume at some point it will dissipate rather than having to wait until his next molt? I hope.

-NG

 

[suileeka]

He looks like my olive linnie. Was the smoking environment at the breeder's? How awful!

 

[Leih]

His back looks like my boys', all speckled. I can imagine the slow Eeyore steps! Emrys is still kind of hesitant like that, but he is more likely to come to the front of his cage to great me while Caspar just watches.

Does he have an odor from that environment? Being blasted with smoke like that is so strange these days. Linnies can bathe daily, so maybe in some time he'll air out.

 

[NorthernGannet]

Yep, it's a stale smoke smell from the breeder's place. Thanks Suileeka for comparing the coloring with yours! How common are olives?

 

[NorthernGannet]

Suileeka, do you have a photo of your olive?

 

[suileeka]

Suileeka, do you have a photo of your olive?

Only about a billion! Here's one of him as a baby plus one alongside his normal green brother for comparison. No idea which colors are common or uncommon these days... I got mine 9 years ago.

 

[suileeka]

Looking at your photos again, he could be a Dark Green, which is a single factor dark rather than double like an Olive.

 

[Dona]

NG your new baby looks and sounds amazing. I love the thought of him buzzing around the cage. And I think his color is beautiful! Super cute that he is talking already, but I am not surprised. I taught Gigi some trick whistles and other sounds and she had them down pat by 4 months. She has added many new vocalizations since then but none taught by me. And no words. Maybe you still have a window to add to the repertoire! I didn't know Linnies were such good mimics but apparently they are known for that.

But sorry about the stale smoke odor. Poor baby! I hope it dissipates soon. Lots of showers and maybe cage next to an open window too.

@suileeka your boys are gorgeous! I die over all the polka dots. And aww! I see your new boys in your tag line! Look at that Linnie tribe!

 

[Leih]

My boys don't do any mimic sounds, I'll have to start trying to teach them. I do make up silly songs for all of my animals and for them I usually sing "linnies linnies linnies" to the Super Mario Bros original when they would go underground. So maybe they'll pick that up.

 

[Dona]

hehe I bet we all sound like crazy people, singing for our birds. I have a baby voice for Gigi that everyone laughs at.

Gigi is a quiet bird but she has huge variety of vocalizations. Trick whistles, kisses, buzzes, contact calls, chortles and chirps. Sometimes she will really get going and it's adorable. But most often she's silent. I know I've said it before but I read that Linnies were thought to be extinct in the 80's because even in groups they tend to be significantly quieter than most bird species. But then they were found again, in large quantities.

 

[Leih]

I had to look up linnie contact call because I don't think I've ever heard it. I think what you call a chortle is what I think of as the loudest sound my boys make, they make that sound together. I can never catch them in the act!

 

[NorthernGannet]

Looking at your photos again, he could be a Dark Green, which is a single factor dark rather than double like an Olive.

Great pics!! Thanks! More than once I've wondered if mine's a mixture of the two colors, but is that even possible. It doesn't look like your olive boy has any blue tinge on his forehead, is that accurate?

-NG

 

[NorthernGannet]

I had to look up linnie contact call because I don't think I've ever heard it. I think what you call a chortle is what I think of as the loudest sound my boys make, they make that sound together. I can never catch them in the act!

Oh man, this morning before I left for work mine were both LOUD, squawking back and forth across the room. Holy cow. It was true squawking, not the higher pitched contact call (I had to look that up too!). Did I say it was loud? Between the two of them, it put my p'let's "loud" to shame! Until now Sprite's only done that squawk when I run the vacuum (or once when an outside bird startled him at the window), and even then it wasn't quite as loud as it was today. Hopefully it's not a sign of things to come I'll just assume it was a good thing between them, although I really haven't a clue.

 

[Sandra Gibson]

Oh my gosh you did it! Your baby looks darling but not normal green to me. I think dark green or olive. Here is Gigi at 2 months, the same bright green she is now, and she does still have that very subtle blue wash over her head.

How is it going? When will you introduce the baby to Sprite?

View attachment 314730

Gigi is beautiful!