Petiska > Pets > Birds > Budgerigars > Red & Pink Budgies: Do They Exist?
Leslie Berry
Petiska Editor

Red & Pink Budgies: Do They Exist?

Budgies don’t have melanocytes cells that can produce directly or indirectly red or pink color. Therefore, budgies can’t have pink or red colors at all.

In nature, yellow, green, and black colored budgies dominated the entire wild budgie population. But, when it comes to the captive budgie population, many colors, and types of budgies live with humans.

However, although numerous mutations have been introduced by humans, a red, or pink budgerigar mutation has not yet existed.

As you can see from the image below, there is no pink or red color in the budgie population worldwide.

Budgies Colors and Varieties Chart
Budgies Colors and Varieties Chart

Why It Is Impossible to Produce Red or Pink Budgies?

Budgies only have melanocytes cells that produce green, yellow, and black colors at the most basic level. Moreover, many mutations modify colors by reducing, increasing, and removing the number of melanocytes cells that produce pigments. Mutations also change the result color of the pigments by adding, fading, and manipulating colors.

For example, the dark factor mutation adds a dark layer to the budgie’s body color. As a result of that, the budgie have green, dark green, gray green and olive green colors in green series budgies. In blue series budgies, a budgie can have skyblue, cobalt, gray, and mauve colors with the dark factor mutations.

So, currently, no mutation generates any kind of reddish or pinkish color. Besides, we can’t generate a red or pink color with green, yellow, and black directly.

Budgies color chart as an image
Budgies color chart as an image

Can We Produce Red or Pink Colors With Other Color Pigments?

No, we can’t generate any kind of red or pink colors. Today, according to WBO, there are ten colors that their Pantone color codes determined.

WBO Budgerigar Colour Guide
WBO Budgerigar Color Guide

Is It Possible for Budgies to Produce a Red or Pink Color in the Future?

Budgies produce many colors with their melanocytes cells. Currently, they can’t produce pink or red color in budgies.

But, in the future, some kind of new mutation or genetic lab experiment may give them to produce the ability to produce reddish or pinkish colors.

When budgies may produce pink or red colors, they can be combined with all available mutations such as dark factor, cinnamon, opaline, spangle, etc.

I Have Seen Red and Pink Budgies

Many newbies who have just entered the budgie world confuse the Bourke’s parrot with the budgies. Bourke’s parrot can have orangish, reddish and pinkish colors.

A Bourke's parakeet that confused with budgies many times.
A Bourke’s parakeet that confused with budgies many times.

REFERENCES

  1. http://www.bctas.info/library.htm
  2. https://www.world-budgerigar.org/budgerigarcolourguide.htm