Rainbow budgies first appeared in Foreign Bird Farm in England. The farm started to breed rainbow budgies as a new variety for pet shops for economic reasons.
The rainbow budgies have become a famous budgie variety with their colorful appearance.
A rainbow budgie is a blue series budgie that can be sky blue, cobalt, mauve, violet, or gray budgie and has specific mutations: opaline, clearwing (whitewing), and yellow or golden face. A rainbow budgie has a yellowish head, grayish or whitish feet, and pastel-colored feathers.
When rainbow budgies became famous, budgerigar breeders and fanciers began to breed rainbow budgies. Breeders also began breeding rainbow-like budgies.
Rainbow-like budgies are typically similar to rainbow budgies, but they have extra mutations or missing mutations that a true rainbow budgie must or must not have.
The World Budgerigar Organization, Australian National Budgerigar Council & Budgerigar Council of Victoria have standards that define a true rainbow budgie.
Here is the standard of The World Budgerigar Organization (WBO):
The standard will be as for the opaline whitewing sky blue, cobalt, mauve, violet, or gray. The expression of yellow coloration will vary depending upon which of the yellow face mutations is visibly present. Yellowface mutant 1 will be lemon yellow, yellowface mutant 2 and double factor will be buttercup yellow, and goldenface double factor will be deeper yellow. The otherwise white areas of the mask, frontal, crown, and the very faintly discernible undulations at the back of the head will be in the shade of yellow coloration appropriate to the yellowface mutant form.
The World Budgerigar Organization (WBO) Website
Here is the “The World Budgerigar Organization (WBO) Rainbow Budgie Standards Table”:
| Markings | On cheeks, back of the head, and neck will have a light flush of the appropriate shade of yellow visible on the otherwise white areas at the edge of the markings. |
| Wings | May have a very light flush of the appropriate shade of yellow visible on the otherwise white areas at the edge of minimal body color markings. |
| Primary wing flights | Gray or white. |
| Primary tail feathers | Neutral with ground or body color suffusion. |
| Secondary tail feathers | Blueish/gray at the tip, an overlay of the appropriate shade of yellow on the otherwise white areas is permissible. |
What is a “True Rainbow Budgie”?
A true rainbow budgie is a blue series budgie that has a combination of certain mutations which are opaline, clearwing (whitening), golden face, or yellow face.
Rainbow budgie variations
Rainbow budgies have variations that are recognized as a true rainbow budgie or not a true rainbow budgie. Organizations such as WBO have definitions for rainbow budgies that describe what is true rainbow budgies.
In public places and pet stores, it doesn’t matter whether a budgie is a true rainbow budgie or not. Visual appearance is more important to beginner budgie breeders.
Here are the rainbow budgie varieties that are bred from all over the world.
Skyblue rainbow budgie
Skyblue rainbow budgie is the most popular rainbow budgie variety, and it is one of the true rainbow budgie varieties.
Cobalt rainbow budgie
The cobalt rainbow budgie is a blue series budgie with a dark factor that darkens its body color towards the color of cobalt and has opaline, clearwing (whitening), golden face, or yellow face mutations.
Mauve rainbow budgie
The mauve rainbow budgie is a blue series budgie with a dark factor that darkens its body color towards the color of mauve and has opaline, clearwing (whitening), golden face, or yellow face mutations.
Violet rainbow budgie
The violet rainbow budgie is a blue series budgie with a dark factor that darkens its body color towards the color of violet and has opaline, clearwing (whitening), golden face, or yellow face mutations.
Gray rainbow budgie
The gray rainbow budgie is a blue series budgie with a dark factor that darkens its body color towards the color of gray and has opaline, clearwing (whitening), golden face, or yellow face mutations.
Rainbow English Budgie
English budgies are basically bigger than traditional budgies. A rainbow budgie is a blue series budgie that has opaline, clearwing (whitewing), golden face, or yellow face mutations.
An English rainbow budgie is a blue series English budgie with opaline, clearwing (whitewing), golden face, or yellow face mutations.
Green rainbow budgies
A green rainbow budgie is a green series budgie that has opaline, clearwing (whitewing), golden face, or yellow face mutations.
Rainbow dilute budgies
A rainbow dilute budgie has dilute, opaline, clearwing (whitewing), yellow face, or golden face mutations together.
Rainbow dilute budgie variation either can be green series or blue series.
Rainbow spangle budgies
A rainbow spangle budgie is basically a rainbow budgie with spangle budgie mutation.
A true rainbow budgie does not have a spangle mutation. The breeder may produce spangle rainbow budgies, and they are no less beautiful than other budgies.
Rainbow helicopter (Japanese, hagoromo) budgies
A rainbow helicopter (Japanese, hagoromo) budgie is a helicopter budgie with rainbow budgie mutations which are opaline, clearwing (whitewing), golden face, or yellow face.
Other rainbow varieties & naming
Greywing rainbow budgies: Greywing rainbow budgies look like true rainbow budgies and have opaline, clearwing (whitewing), golden face, or yellow face mutations, and in addition, they have greywing mutation.
There are other rainbow budgie varieties names such as Australian rainbow budgies, pastel rainbow budgies, yellow rainbow budgies, and dark rainbow budgies.
How to identify rainbow budgies?
Rainbow budgies have a variety of pastel colors that caused them to be named “Rainbow budgies.”
A rainbow budgie looks like a budgie that is deliberately painted with most of the rainbow colors at first look.
To identify the rainbow budgies, look at the following:
- A rainbow budgie must be a blue series budgie: sky blue, cobalt, mauve, violet, or gray.
- A rainbow budgie must have the opaline mutation that reduces the intensity of the striations between the top of the head, neck, and wings.
- A rainbow budgie must have the clearwing (whitewing) mutation that makes wing feathers very pale gray or white/yellow.
- A rainbow budgie must have one of goldenface or golden face mutations. Yellowface mutation 1 makes the head mask lemon-yellow, yellowface mutant and double factor make the head mask buttercup-yellow, goldenface mutation makes the head mast deeper yellow.
- Rainbow budgies have grayish or whitish feet.
- The pastel colors of the feathers mix with each other as in a watercolor painting artwork.
- The cheek color has a color range from a medium purple to deeper purple.
- Male rainbow budgies have medium blue cere color; females have light blue or white cere color. During the mating season, males have a deeper blue cere color; females have a bronze cere color with a crusty-looking surface.
- Primary wing flights have a gray or white color.
- Flight feathers often have a color from pale gray color to white color.
- Tail feathers are neutral, with the ground or body color suffusion.
- Rainbow budgies have black eyes with white iris rings.
Rainbow budgie genetics
The nature of breeding rainbow budgies is not the same as other single mutations that are transmitted from generation to generation.
There is no “Rainbow budgie mutation” as a single mutation.
What mutations rainbow budgie has?
To breed a rainbow budgerigar, the breeder must combine three different mutations on one budgie in multiple stages. Mutations that rainbow budgies have: Clearwing (whitewing), opaline, yellowface, or golden face.
Clearwing (Whitewing)
Clearwing (whitewing) budgie mutation makes rainbow budgie’s wing feathers very pale gray or white/yellow.
Opaline
Opaline budgie mutation reduces the intensity of the striations between the top of the head, neck, and wings of rainbow budgies.
Yellowface or goldenface
Yellowface or golden face budgie mutation gives the most prominent characteristic to rainbow budgies. A rainbow budgie must have one of goldenface or golden face mutations. Yellowface mutation 1 makes the head mask lemon-yellow, yellowface mutant and double factor make the head mask buttercup-yellow, goldenface mutation makes the head mast deeper yellow.
How to breed rainbow budgies?
To breed a rainbow budgie, the breeder must breed in multiple stages.
Which birds can we use to start breeding rainbow budgies?
A rainbow budgie breeder needs a yellowface or goldenface male budgie, a female with clearwing, yellowface or golden face opaline male, or split opaline or clearwing (whitewing) to produce rainbow budgies.
Rainbow budgie breeding stages & chart & breeding expectations
| Pairing | Result | |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | Yellowface or golden face male + Clearwing (Whitewing) female | Yellowface or goldenface males or opaline males. Split of opaline clearwing (whitewing) and clearwing (whitewing) females |
| Stage 2 | Yellowface or goldenface opaline male or split of opaline clearwing (whitewing) male + Clearwing (whitewing) female | Rainbow chicks in varying percentages |
| Stage 3 | Yellowface or goldenface opaline male or split of opaline, clearwing (whitewing) male + Female rainbow budgie | 100% Rainbow budgie chicks |
Rainbow budgie names
Names that can be given to rainbow budgies are listed as follows:
- Rainbow
- Lilly
- Ruby
- Lewis
- Sam
- Pepper
- Tootsie
- Cliff
- Poncho
- Jet
- Nissa
- Tiki
- Clyde
- Lucky
- Tornado
- Blue
- Spike
- Rosemary
- Jerry
- Olivia
- Orville
- Gill
- Blondie
- Indigo
- Java
- Gabby
- Jewel
- Puck
- Pikachu
- Jolly
- Flora
- Hershey
- Mercedes
- Ozzy
- Peach
- Bailey
- Birdie
- Saffron
- Cory
- Crispy
- Phoenix
- Skylar
- Beaker
- Poochie
- Hollywood
- Scooter
- Lime
- Woody
- Bess
- Hendrix
- Honey
- Oliver
- Pumpkin
- Lenny
- Packer
- Monty
- Goldie
- Polly
- Crystal
- Santiago
- Mickey
- Ginger
- Ollie
- Melody
- Belle
- Hootie
- Dusty
- Buddy
- Sammy
- Pip
- Chirpy
- Poochy
- Louie
- Leo
- Harry
- Goody
- Percy
- Paulie
- Vanilla
- Tookie
- Zuzu
- Harley
- Peep
- Pippin
- Comet
- Willow
- Mac
- Shadow
- Magic
- Ringo
- Jazz
- Peanut
- Eric
- Koko
- Mendel
- Max
- Cookie
- Ziggy
- Bluebell
- Tango
- Eve
- Sweetie
- Captain
- Beaky
- Hank
- George
- Mango
- Katy
- Kirbie
- Yoyo
- Candy
- Nibbles
- Wiggles
- Cher
- Merlin
- Chippie
- Banjo
- Indy
- Nessie
- Orlando
- Coco
How much is a rainbow budgie?
Here are approximate rainbow budgie prices all over the world:
- USA: $30 – $150
- UK: $25 – $140
- Pakistan: Around 12,500 Rupees
- India: 2,250 Rupees – 7,500 rupees
Rainbow budgie images
Rainbow budgie videos
A rainbow budgie is not considered a rare budgie variety compared to half-sider, lacewing, saddleback, and fallow budgies.
In captivity, rainbow budgies live an average of five to eight years.
Sources:
- https://www.world-budgerigar.org/colourstds.htm#RAINBOW
- http://www.ornitho-mutations.com/rainbowaug11.pdf
- https://unitedbudgies.org.au/beginner-information/about-the-varieties-colours/rainbows-colours-bush-budgies/
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