Breeding the Lady Gould

The striking Gouldian Finch iChloebio gouldiaei, which Australian finch authority. Klaus lmmelmann. called the most beautiful and most interesting [of group iAustralion Finches in Bush and Aviary, 1965). is likely also most controversial finch from that country in American aviculture. For one reason or another. fanciers have such different experiences with bird that. regrettably I feel. some finch enthusiasts have been reluctant to try their hands at this beauty. What I propose to do here is not to repeat what has already been written about Lady Gould. but instead to limit my points in an attempt to reconcile some of important contradictory notions on this finch and also to share with reader a number of my own observations based on extensive experience with Goulds. While no two Gould breeders will have identical experiences, there are factors, I think. that account for apparent confusions and lack of agreement among breeders. I am just as convinced that regardless of such variables as stock, locale, housing. feeding, temperature, and like - one can determine and count on certain general patterns of behavior. While Lady Gould is more of a challenge than Zebra or Society, I would stress that even novice breeder, following best available advice, can breed this finch successfully and consistently. There will be disappointments, as there are in breeding any bird, but I could draw up a list of beginning breeders whose success has easily outweighed their failures. The fancier new to Gould is often unclear as to what to expect when pairing two birds of different head colors. Most people have initial experiences with either red-headed or black-headed variety, two most common color types. It is often incorrectly assumed that if you breed a red-headed bird to a black-headed one, offspring won't be pure, distinctly one or other. This assumption is sometimes based no doubt on fact that a minority of red hens actually show more black facial coloring than red, even though genetically they are pure reds. (The redheaded males show no such variation is amount of red in head.) The reds and blacks, are, then. always separate types and breed true. Redheadedness is sex-linked and dominant to black. Thus, a red-headed female is always a pure red, whereas a red-headed male can be pure red (with two factors for redheadedness) or else split-to-black (one factor for red, one for black) - this latter single factor occurs when either parent is a blackheaded bird. On average these arc offspring expectations for various pamngs: 1. Black x black = all black offspring. 2. Red x red= all red. 3. Red (pure) male x black female = 50 percent red males split-to-black: 50 percent red females. 4. Black male x red female = 50 percent red males split-to-black: 50 percent black females. 5. Red (split-to-black) male x red female = 25 percent black females: rest, reds. 6. Red (split-to-black) male x black female = 25 percent of each: red males, black males, red females, black females. A less common coloration is socalled yellow-headed variety; head color is actually a light orange, not at all bright of belly area. Genetically this bird is either a red-headed or a black-headed specimen that is unable to convert carotinoids into red ones. Since this trait is recessive, both birds of a pair must carry factor in order for it to show up in offspring. Whether or not yellow color is overt, or hidden in a split bird, depends of course on parentage. Two similary recessive mutations that are more recent on American finch scene are stunning white-breasted and blue-breasted Goulds. In whitebreasted bird all of normal remain same, except for breast, which is a striking snow white instead of usual purple. Personally I prefer white breast in combination with black head, but since beauty is in eye of beholder, others prefer combination of white breast and red head. In both types, white of breast tones down bird, that to taste of some beholders is a bit too garish or royal in coloration, especially in vivid red and purple combination. The same might be said of more recent blue-breasted mutation. The blue (a deep powder blue) and red pattern is quite pleasant; changes in this variety also include a gray rump area, with no blue or green feathers, and a chartreuse suffusion extending down back of head. Otherwise, in any head color variety, colors elsewhere remain those of normal bird. The white-breasted Gould has been bred in England for some years now; bird took its good time migrating to our shores. The British breed a white-breasted (of either sex; remember, it's recessive) to a split bird, to yield 50 percent whites and 50 percent splits. Evidently, even though a lot of outcrossing has strengthened this mutation, white to white produces a smaller, less vigorous bird. I have not tried white to white, though offspring ofmy white to split pairings have been large, strong birds. The blue-breasted mutation cropped up several years ago in this country and a few breeders are currently at work establishing it. Other mutations, such as lutino, albino, blue-backed, etc., have appeared in Australia and elsewhere, but these seem to hold less interest for breeders or else have not been firmly established.