Alder Tit – dilute brown

Description:

Photo and breeding by Jean-Michel EYTORFF

The diluted brown mutation is a combination of the brown factor and the diluted green factor (see breeding results). In effect, a new phenotype is created, the genetic transmission of which is linked to the components of this phenotype. For example, a brown-dilute male mated with a green female produces young females that are brown, brown-dilute, and young males that are green split-brown and green-dilute dominant split-brown.

Male: The crown is yellowish-brown. The back is greenish-yellow with a slight brown tinge and dark brown streaks. The breast and flanks are yellowish with a slight brown tinge and light brown streaks. The flight feathers are grey-brown with a bright yellow wing mirror and a yellow-brown wing bar. The tail feathers are grey-brown with yellow patches, as in the wild form. The dilution present in the phenotype brings out the lipochrome, resulting in a very warm and luminous base colour.

Female: The head and back are light brown streaked with dark brown. The breast is beige streaked with light brown. The flanks are beige streaked with light brown. Overall, this gives a very soft brown tone that is much lighter than that of the brown mutation mentioned earlier. The flight feathers and tail feathers are grey-brown (with pale yellow wing mirrors). The lipochrome is much less pronounced, as is the case with the other mutations and the wild-type.

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