Peafowl Genetics 204: Patterns
This genetics lesson contains information about peafowl pattern mutations. So far we have only looked at peafowl color mutations. Pattern is how the color is displayed. Think of it like having a triangle. The triangle can be blue, and that is its color. The triangle can be striped, and that is the pattern. The stripes can come in blue or purple, which is the striped pattern in the blue or purple color. Same for peafowl!
Peafowl have only two pattern mutations- solid wing (blackshoulder) and brown wing (unproven). As far as I know, both are autosomal recessives, and should travel the same way as any autosomal recessive color. "But what about pied and-" Those are leucistic mutations, which will be discussed in the next lesson.
Solid wing/blackshoulder causes the barring on the male wing to be changed to a solid color that matches the solid-color secondaries on the wing. In blues, these feathers are black, but in other colors they are not, hence why 'solid wing' is a more accurate description. It also causes the hens to change from normal, solid colored to be white with with color speckling and a rust collar at the top of the neck.
Brown wing, the barring is diluted/muted/faded in color.
Peafowl have only two pattern mutations- solid wing (blackshoulder) and brown wing (unproven). As far as I know, both are autosomal recessives, and should travel the same way as any autosomal recessive color. "But what about pied and-" Those are leucistic mutations, which will be discussed in the next lesson.
Solid wing/blackshoulder causes the barring on the male wing to be changed to a solid color that matches the solid-color secondaries on the wing. In blues, these feathers are black, but in other colors they are not, hence why 'solid wing' is a more accurate description. It also causes the hens to change from normal, solid colored to be white with with color speckling and a rust collar at the top of the neck.
Brown wing, the barring is diluted/muted/faded in color.
Solid Wing/Blackshoulder
Blackshoulder (BS) is an autosomal recessive. It travels the same way that autosomal recessive colors travel. Because of this, I am not going to go over autosomal recessives again, you can revisit Genetics 201. All you have to do is replace the color with the "bs" notation and it will travel the exact same way.
However, since many people are breeding blackshoulder in different colors, I will give an example of homozygous and heterozygous blackshoulder traveling with an autosomal recessive and a sex-linked recessive.
Let's use Opal for our autosomal. Here is what Opal Wild Wing x Wild Type BS would produce. Please note that there is a wild type COLOR (blue) and a wild type PATTERN (barred wing). The Opal has a normal, barred wing, which is noted as WT in the genes. Even though the bird is a color mutation, the color is displayed in the wild type pattern. Also note that the BS has a pattern mutation, but it is the wild color, which will also be noted as WT. These are NOT the same WT, but all wild type (ie, the original genes that aren't mutated) genes are noted as WT. When you look at this chart, notice that the COLOR comes first (WT in the bs, o in the opal) and then a gene separation colon, and then the PATTERN comes second (WT in the opal, bs in the bs). It doesn't matter which order you put them in, as long as the order matches for both.
However, since many people are breeding blackshoulder in different colors, I will give an example of homozygous and heterozygous blackshoulder traveling with an autosomal recessive and a sex-linked recessive.
Let's use Opal for our autosomal. Here is what Opal Wild Wing x Wild Type BS would produce. Please note that there is a wild type COLOR (blue) and a wild type PATTERN (barred wing). The Opal has a normal, barred wing, which is noted as WT in the genes. Even though the bird is a color mutation, the color is displayed in the wild type pattern. Also note that the BS has a pattern mutation, but it is the wild color, which will also be noted as WT. These are NOT the same WT, but all wild type (ie, the original genes that aren't mutated) genes are noted as WT. When you look at this chart, notice that the COLOR comes first (WT in the bs, o in the opal) and then a gene separation colon, and then the PATTERN comes second (WT in the opal, bs in the bs). It doesn't matter which order you put them in, as long as the order matches for both.
All offspring are het opal, het BS.
If the opal is also het blackshoulder, then you would get some BS offspring. Let's have a look at Opal het BS x Wild Type BS.
If the opal is also het blackshoulder, then you would get some BS offspring. Let's have a look at Opal het BS x Wild Type BS.
As you can see, 50% of the offspring are now BS.
Sex-linked genes with an autosomal pattern would work the same way as any normal sex-linked color + autosomal color, except instead of a color, the autosomal gene is the pattern.
Let's have a look at a Purple cock x Wild Type BS hen pairing. Note that we are now tracking the sex chromosome again, and they should be in the same spot. I like to put them last, but you can put them anywhere you want, as long as they're in the same place on both parents, with relation to the gene separation colon.
Sex-linked genes with an autosomal pattern would work the same way as any normal sex-linked color + autosomal color, except instead of a color, the autosomal gene is the pattern.
Let's have a look at a Purple cock x Wild Type BS hen pairing. Note that we are now tracking the sex chromosome again, and they should be in the same spot. I like to put them last, but you can put them anywhere you want, as long as they're in the same place on both parents, with relation to the gene separation colon.
As you can see, all the offspring are het BS, and the hens are purple.
Let's look at what happens when a Purple het BS male pairs to a Wild Type BS hen.
Let's look at what happens when a Purple het BS male pairs to a Wild Type BS hen.
As you can see, you should get 4 different phenotypes- blue (het bs, het purple) males, purple (het bs) hens, blue (het purple) bs males, and purple BS hens.
Basically, once you have learned to move an autosomal recessive in a Punnett square, you can move a blackshoulder gene around. Works the same way.
Basically, once you have learned to move an autosomal recessive in a Punnett square, you can move a blackshoulder gene around. Works the same way.
Brown Wing
Brown wing birds are currently held by only a few individuals, and the genetics have not been shared or proven out. I assume that it is an autosomal recessive as well, and would work the same way as blackshoulder, but with a different phenotype. If I find out otherwise, I will update this section.