Every year, the world of lovebirds experiences shifting trends in mutations, from single mutations to complex combinations of mutations. The latest mutations may also be a consideration when completing the collection in your aviary.
Not only will you benefit from the sale of your breeding stock, but it will also keep your aviary up to date with the mutation trends of the year.
In 2023, several new mutations were registered that attracted attention worldwide. There are aqua, yellowface, pallid and sapphire. Some are already undergoing very rapid mutation combinations.
In this article, I will select lovebird mutations that you can grow, multiply or even transmute to get other variants within one particular mutation.
You should have the 5 lovebirds' color mutations in 2024 and the best crosses.
In the world of lovebirds, to keep up, you have to follow the trend of high-class mutations or the latest mutations that are still rare, which is good in terms of profit.
However, you can also create trends by combining mutations not commonly done by other breeders outside. Although the process will take a while, you will benefit in the long run.
1. Yellowface Fischeri
Yellowface is the latest mutation from Indonesia, from a business point of view this is very potential because this phenotype is still relatively rare. You can immediately buy yellowface green to cross with other high-class mutations such as dun fallow and bronze fallow.
Also, cross with opaline mutations to get a complete combination and variation in yellowface, which is still limited.
Yellowface is native to the genus Agapornis fischeri, although sometimes there are some hybrids. You can also transmute yellowface to Agapornis personatus, Nigrigenis, and Liliana Nyasa for long-term progress.
2. Aqua Fischeri
This mutation was discovered in Indonesia and later exported to the Philippines and other Asian countries. There are 2 variations in aqua consisting of Aqua blue1 and Aqua Blue2. There are some claims that there is one more variation, Aqua Homozygote, but it is unimportant.
The mutation combinations of aqua are quite complete, most recently I saw a social media upload of the aqua opaline dun fallow combination at its peak.
You can cross with these high-class mutations, but you can also choose alternatives that are not too many combinations of aqua with dilute, greywing, pallid, pale, and others to get more variety and, of course, an advantage in the future.
Another interesting option is transmutation to other sub-species, and this only exists now, even if only hybrids are more inclined towards aqua personatus.
The most extreme option is crossing aqua with red factor; the red factor is a carrier of a genetic disorder that changes the intensity of red psittacine completely; in aqua, there is still red psittacine, although not as intensive as in the wild type, with this cross, you can expect to get aqua with a more intense reddish-orange or dark orange phenotype.
3. Pallid fischeri
Pallid is also found in Indonesia, this phenotype is characterized by dilution of the mantle feathers, resembling DF euwing. Some people combine it with melanin mutations such as fallow or pale. That is a silly idea; you will only wash the chicks, and they will get thinner.
Pallids should be crossed with psittacine mutations such as parblue/blue1blue2, aqua, yellowface and blue1. You can also cross with opaline, violet factor and Euwing to complete the combination. The red factor might also be interesting.
Transmutation is also necessary if you have long-term progress. Until recently, pallid personatus, pallid nigrigenis, and pallid lilianae nyasa were rare.
4. NSL ino Opaline
This is an old mutation combination, but who wouldn't be enamored by the phenotype of a yellow bird with reddish-orange covering the head. The NSLino Opaline or lutino opaline came back when the aqua mutation appeared.
The NSLino aqua blue1 and Blue2 opaline have unique and exotic color combinations. To get a tight and perfect mask color on NSLino aqua opaline, you should cross between aqua x NSLino opaline.
For this reason, NSLino Opaline has again become the hunt for breeders to cross with aqua.
NSLino Opaline is also the most important part if you have worked with Yellowface Fischeri. You will get a yellowface NSLino with a perfect mustard yellow mask up to the nape border.
5. Blue2 fischeri
The emergence of the aqua mutation in Agapornis fischeri has changed the established order quite a bit. Blue2 was recognized after a long period of research and breeding tests. It is a blue lovebird that we have known for years but is genetically different from the real blue.
And blue1blue2 (formerly parblue) is a combination of blue1 and blue2.
The combination of blue2 x aqua also produces the phenomenal aqua blue2; there is no other way to produce aqua blue2 without these two mutations. So, you will benefit by having fischeri blue2 in the cage.
Thank you. Have fun creating and imagining new color variations in lovebirds.