Elegant Goldfinch - Agate

Description:

The Agate factor is sex-linked and recessive. The reduction in eumelanin and the absence of brown pheomelanin give the bird a greyish appearance on the back, flanks and breast. The black colour of the mask, crown, flight feathers and tail feathers is slightly reduced. The bird’s overall appearance is paler than that of the wild form, and the absence of brown in the plumage makes the reduced black areas stand out very clearly. The red carotene content of the mask is the same as in the wild-type form. The wing mirrors are yellow, with no reduction in colour. This mutation is less striking than the Pastel mutation, but is nevertheless of great genetic interest for the selective breeding of new mutations.


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