That is the Question
By Ian Fielding
First Published in the variegated post 1994
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Pictured here is the picture of the Ideal Recessive Pied - taken from the present BS Colour Standard.
This to me looks very similar on the visual front from the previous standard however the description has changed somewhat - mainly on the view of Head Markings.
Having spoken to both members of the BS Colour Standards Committee and also other eminent Recessive Pied Breeders who I know in the North West differing opinions arise about the subject of head markings.
Firstly the traditionalists tend to accept the beauty of the “Zebra Markings” over the top of the head but not forward of the eye line - i.e. the straight line over the top of the head dissecting the eyes. Forward of this line should be classed as flecking - some ‘Normal’ Budgerigar Judges who have been quite eminent fanciers in their own right say that they allow the flecking in front of this line as the Zebra Markings to me they have misconstrued the old colour standard.
The old Standard reads - .. “Zebra markings on the top of the head and around the eyes are not faults”. Where as the new standard read“Marking: on cheeks, back of head, neck and wings should be black undulations and..” with no note of the classic Zebra Markings.
However as a not to judges: “RECESSIVE PIED: ... Zebra Markings on the frontal should also be penalised bearing in mind that the standard for every variety denotes that THE FRONTAL AND CROWN SHOULD BE CLEAR AND FREE FROM ALL MARKINGS.”
Having queried this with a member of the Colour Standard Committee back in June just after the Colour Standard was issued, he just turned to me and said that the decision to have a clear frontal and crown has been made and we will just have to breed this type of bird.
A friend of mine, Tony Tilston agrees with me in saying that this new Standard gets rid of the beauty of the Recessive Pied and will not do the characteristics any good at all - he also agrees that “flecked” birds and as I have described above should be penalised. He has even stated that he may be inclined to stop breeding Recessives
I must admit that my stud of Recessive Pieds have the Zebra markings as a standard - even the ones with little wing markings - have Zebra markings as standard and I will continue to keep this type of bird, my own opinion is that these are classic marking and hence should be clean cut markings on a well balanced, well marked bird. I admit that I have bred quite a number of flecked headed birds, which I do not generally exhibit - however one noteable bird that I did breed which when seen by some top judges was classed as a “BUDGERIGAR” something that is rarely said about a Recessive Pied, and which Ghalib Al-Nasser raved about a couple of years ago, and hence obtained of me to breed with as I had no success, was heavily flecked, had little if no wing markings and also rarely grew a full tail, yes this was not up to the Recessive Pied Standard and I would not like to say that it was - but it did cause a stir!
So here are my thoughts about the Recessive Pied Colour Standard and where in my opinion the powers that be may have been misled - please reply to this article not only for my benefit but also for other readers of this magazine.
You may also have read the other article by Ken Gray about the “Cinderella”varieties which again addresses the question of Standards - if you have any comments then please write to me !