I couldnt find anything here with baby boys, girls, and adults of different mutations all together so I figured I would get together some pics of my boys, girls and babies for a little thread I hope it helps someone
Here are the basics on a budgies cere depending on its age, sex, and mutation and breeding condition!
For the baby pictures I have one of each baby when they are 2-3 weeks old on the left, and again from 6-8 weeks of age on the right so you can see the change and difference between a male and a female, as well as their mutations which can have an effect on the color
Baby Males
Baby male budgies will have a even color to there ceres compared to females especially around the nostrils.
They are light pink to dark purple in color depending on the budgie, and will get more blue and purple as they get close to the age they moult.
Male- Grey Dominant pied
Male- Double factor spangle
Male- Light green greywing
Male- Grey green dominant pied
Male- Grey spangle
Baby Females
Females will have a light blue/ white cere depending on their age, and can sometimes have a little bit of pink around the edges of there cere.
They will have very light blue/white around their nostrils which is the most obvious sign of a female, despite having a little blue or pink around the outsides of the cere. As they get older it will get more white with very light powder blue until they come into breeding condition.
Female- Grey green spangle
Female- Grey green dominant pied
Female-Yellowface albino
Female-Dark green normal
INO male and female babies
Male Albino-
Female Albino-
Male(left) and female(right)
Pigment variation effects on the cere
A budgies mutation can also have an effect on their cere, although this is not always the case.
When they have grey, dark, or violet factors especially, it can cause their beak and cere to be darker even black in some places from excess melanin or pigmint. The effect is usually the most noticible around the center and outside edges of the cere making it darker, and causing a black color to the beak.
By the time they go through their first moult these pigments usually have lightned, but it can confuse some on the true sex of their baby, thinking they have a boy because of the darker color, when it is really a girl by the true color of the cere itself
Male- Grey green.
Female- Violet.
Mature females
Females that are mature but are not in breeding condition will have light blue/white ceres. When in breeding condition they will have light nut brown ceres, and when coming out of breeding condition they will have dark brown ceres. Here are some examples of each
Females not in breeding condition
Females in breeding condition
Mature males
Males that arent in breeding condition have light blue ceres, especially in the center of the cere and around the nostrils. When they come into breeding condition they turn a bright, deep shade of shiny blue
Males not in breeding condition
Males in breeding condition
Male Recessive pied, Dark eyed clear and like cere colors
Recessive pieds, Dark eyed clears, fallows, and like mutations dont get blue ceres in males. They stay light purple/pink from the time they are young to being mature adult males
Left- Male dark eyed clear
Right- Male recessive pied
