USA LUTINO AND EUROPEAN INO GOULDIAN GENOTYPES 

                                                                 (By Winnie McAlpin)

                                                                                        ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

                                                                                            

The following has been written to help USA Gouldian breeders to visually determine a USA Lutino from a European Ino Gouldian Finch.  This information should be helpful to those who are interested in buying USA Lutinos or European Inos.

THE GUIDE TO GOULDIAN FINCHES, states that the USA Lutino and the European Ino are two different Ino mutations.  Some prefer to use the name Lutino, while others prefer to use the name Ino or Albinistic.  I was advised to name the USA mutation as a Lutino. There are two different sources for the two Ino mutations found in the USA.

                                                    MUTATIONS: 

The USA Lutino gene is thought by some international breeders to be a spontaneous Ino mutation from a Gouldian Ino gene. The White Breast and Lilac breast genes can be added to the USA Lutino. The USA Lutino has the Black Pigments inhibited by a Gouldian Ino gene which affects the entire body coloring.  The USA Lutino can not produce a Gouldian with the same coloring of the European Ino, except for the Black Headed White Breasted Male and Female. The USA Lutino was discovered in Kingsport, TN in 2002.

The European Ino gene in the USA is thought by some international breeders to be a hybrid Ino mutation from the Lutino Blue Faced Parrot Finch. A hybrid Ino gene may be bred many generations to become 99 percent pure, but the source of the Ino gene is from another species.   The European Ino has the Black Pigments reduced by an Ino gene, which affects the entire body coloring.  It is thought that a hybrid European Ino  gene prevents true Red and true Yellow head coloring.  The European Inos arrived in the USA from Cuba in 2011. The European Inos in Cuba were produced from Gouldians obtained from Spain.

It is also thought by some international breeders that there may be a European Ino in Europe, which was  produced from a spontaneous Ino mutation from the Gouldian Ino gene.  This mutation has the ability to produce true Red and true Yellow headed Inos. 

A line of true Red Headed and true Yellow headed Euorpean Inos has been established in Slovakia, by Marek Buransky. However, the genetics of this line have not yet been fully determined by sufficient test breeding.  It is not known if the line is from a spontaneous Gouldian Ino gene or if the line is from a “cross over” in a hybrid Ino gene.

The European Ino in the USA can not produce a Gouldian with the same coloring of the USA Lutino, except for the Black Headed White Breasted Male and Female.

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                                                        BODY COLORS:

USA Lutinos have a lighter Yellow body  than a Pastel Green. The White Breasted USA Lutinos have the same body color as the Purple [Pink] Breasted USA Lutinos.

European Inos have a Yellow body the same color as a SF Pastel Green.  The European Ino’s body color can be lightened by adding the Lilac and White Breast genes.

                                                    BREAST COLORS:  

USA Lutinos have a Purple breast [Pink] , the Lilac Breast is White and the White Breast is White. 

The European Ino’s Purple Breast, Lilac Breast and White Breast are all White. The European Ino has a Dominant White Breast, and the Purple, Lilac and White are recessive to the Dominant White Breast.

                                                   HEAD COLORS: 

USA Lutinos have true Red and true Yellow Head color and the Black Head is an off White. Some USA Lutino females have a solid Red or solid yellow head while others are not solid.

European Inos in the USA have no true Red or Yellow head color.   The European Ino has a white [Black], tan [Yellow] or dark tan [Red] for the head coloring.  The Red Headed and Yellow Headed European Inos may have a few feathers in the head mask, which are true Red or true Yellow.

                                                      CHIN COLORS:

USA Lutinos Males have a Pink Chin. The Red Headed and Yellow Headed White Breasted USA Lutino males have a lighter color pink chin than the Purple Breasted [Pink] USA Lutino Males. The Black Headed USA Lutino would have a White chin. The Red Headed and Yellow Headed White Breasted Females have a very light Pink chin, except for the Black Headed White Breasted USA Lutino,  which has a White chin.

European Inos have the same chin color as  the head color, which is  White [Black], Tan [Yellow] or Dark Tan [Red].  For example, a Tan [Yellow] Headed European Ino will have a Tan chin.  The Dark Tan [Red] have a Dark Tan chin.  However, the Black Headed and the White Breasted European Ino have a White chin.



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                                                         EYE COLORS: 

USA Lutinos, SF Pastel Green USA Lutinos and DF Pastel Green USA Lutinos [if they were produced] would have RED EYES. The red color of the eyes are ruby red.

 
European Inos, SF Pastel Green European Inos and DF Pastel Green European Inos have RED EYES. The red color of the eyes are bright red. 

                                            HEAD RING COLORS: 

USA Lutinos have a true  Blue Head Ring.

European Inos have a true  Blue Head Ring.

                                                 BEAK COLORS: 

USA Lutinos have a beak color, which  corresponds with the head coloring.

European Inos have a beak color, which corresponds with the head coloring.

                                                 FUSION LINE:

USA Lutinos can produce  a true Red and true Yellow Fusion Line, which corresponds with the beak coloring.

European Inos can produce  a true Red and true Yellow Fusion Line, which corresponds with the beak coloring.

                                                   GENETICS: 

USA Lutinos are easier to visibly identify and  the Lutino gene has been separated from the Pastel Green gene since 2005. 

European Inos are more difficult to visibly identify and some have been separated from the Pastel Green gene.

                                                         EYESIGHT: 

USA Lutinos  have less problems with blindness or poor eyesight due to the darker red of the eyes. 

Some European Inos have more problems with blindness or poor eyesight due to the lighter red of the eyes.

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                                                    PRODUCTIVITY:  

If distantly related birds are bred, USA Lutinos can be bred Lutino to  Lutino and produce 100 percent Lutinos.  USA Lutinos have been bred Lutino to Lutino for 3 consecutive generations with healthy offspring.

Depending on how many generations since hybridization, the European Inos have a higher death rate of offspring.  Some loss of the offspring is due to not being able to see their food as juveniles. 

                                                           BREEDING: 

USA Lutinos are Sex-linked Recessive. The USA Lutinos have been separated from the Pastel Green gene and have a simple breeding method. There are no USA Lutnos which have not been separated from the SF Pastel Green gene produced in the USA.

The European Inos are Sex-linked Recessive. European Inos, which have been separated from the Pastel Green gene, are bred in the same method as the USA Lutinos.

There are European Inos produced in the USA, which are mixed with the Pastel Green gene. European Inos, which have not been separated from the Pastel Green gene, have complex breeding methods.

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                                       NOTES FOR GENOTYPE IDENTIFICATION:

The head color of a Blue Faced Parrot Finch is true Blue. The Parrot Finch Ino gene causes the Blue head to become White on the Lutino Blue Faced Parrot Finch. The  [White] head gene, from the Lutino Blue Faced Parrot Finch, causes the European Ino’s Red head to become Dark Tan, the Yellow head to become Tan and the Black head to become White. Until 2012, when a chart was posted at my web site, there was no method to identify which European Inos were Red, Yelllow or Black Headed.  All European Inos were described as being Black Headed.

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The Red and Yellow head colors of the European Ino are similar to the head coloring seen in Blue Gouldians.  The  Black Headed European Ino head color is White similar to the Black head coloring of  Black Headed Pastel Green Gouldians.  The USA Lutino’s true Red and true Yellow Head color is Dominant to the European head colors. 

The Blue Faced Parrot Finch does not have a separate chin color. The European Ino does not have a separate chin color from the head color.  The European Ino produced in the USA  has the same chin color as the head color. The three European Ino head colors have the characteristics of a Black Headed Pastel Green Gouldian, which has a White chin with a matching White head. 

The Blue Faced Parrot Finch does not have a separate  breast color.  The [White] gene from the Lutino Blue Faced Parrot Finch is  the color of the European Ino breast. The [White] breast gene is Dominant to Purple, Lilac and White Breast. The European Ino Purple Breast, Lilac Breast and White Breast are all White in coloring.  

A SF or DF Pastel Green Purple Breasted European Ino Male has a White Breast and White chin. A Red Headed or Yellow Headed White Breasted USA Lutino Male can be visibly determined from the  SF or DF Pastel White Breasted Green European Ino Male. The White Breasted USA Lutino Males, have a light pink chin, which would show different than the White chin of the SF or DF Pastel Green Purple [White] Breasted or White Breasted European Ino Males.  Both have pink feathering at the head mask.

A SF Pastel Green Purple [White] Breasted European Ino Female has a White Breast and White chin. A SF Pastel Green Red Headed or Yellow Headed White Breasted USA Lutino Female can be determined from a SF  Pastel Green Purple [White] European Ino Female.  Both  have true Red or true Yellow Head coloring with Red Eyes, but the SF Pastel Green White Breasted USA Lutino would have a light pink chin. The European Ino SF Pastel Green Purple [White] Breasted Female would have a White chin. 

A Black Headed Purple [White] Breasted or White Breasted SF or DF Pastel Green European Ino Male has a White Breast. All Black headed USA Lutinos and European Ino Males have a chin color, which is the same as the head color. A Black Headed White Breasted USA Lutino Male could not be determined from the Black Headed  Purple [White] Breasted or White Breasted European Ino Male. 

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A Black Headed White Breasted USA Lutino Male could not be determined from the Black Headed Purple [White] Breasted or White Breasted European Ino Male.  A Black Headed White Breasted USA Lutino Male could not be determined from the  SF or DF Pastel Green Purple [White] Breasted or White Breasted European Ino Males.   All of them have White Heads, White breasts and White chins. Both may have pink feathering at the head mask.The difference could be determined by test breeding, but it could be complex and time consuming. 

 A Black Headed Purple [White] Breasted or White Breasted SF Pastel Green European Ino Female has a White Breast. All Black headed USA Lutinos and Black Headed European Ino Females have a chin color, which is the same color as the head color.

A Black Headed White Breasted USA Lutino Female could not be determined from a Black Headed Purple [White] Breasted or White Breasted European Ino Female.  

A Black Headed White Breasted USA Lutino Female could not be determined from a SF Pastel Green Purple [White] Breasted or White Breasted European Ino Female. All of them  have a White head, White breast and White chin.   The difference could be determined by test breeding, but it would be complex and time consuming.

The genetics of the USA Lutino can not produce a Lutino, which looks like the European Ino, except by producing a Black Headed White Breasted USA Lutino.  

The European Ino can not produce an Ino which looks like the USA Lutino except by producing a  Black Headed Purple [White] Breasted European Ino, a Black Headed White Breasted European Ino, a Black Headed SF or DF Pastel Green Purple [White] Breasted or a Black Headed SF or DF Pastel Green White Breasted European Ino.  All other colorings are different and can be visibly determined.

 As of 11.1.5.14, there is no evidence that a European Ino has been produced in the USA , which is  linked to Green, and can produce a true Red and true Yellow headed European Ino. International breeders are hoping to  discover a European Ino, which has a cross over gene for true Red and true Yellow head coloring, which is not linked to Pastel Green.

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The first red eyed Gouldian Finch was discovered in Tennessee, USA, in 2002. She was a Black Headed SF Pastel Green Split for White Breast USA Lutino Gouldian female.  The SF Pastel Green gene was separated from the USA Lutino gene in 2005.  As of November 15, 2014, there have not been any SF or DF Pastel Green USA Lutino males bred in the USA. The production of SF and DF Pastel Green USA Lutinos would make the breeding of USA Lutinos more complex.

International breeders have stated  that the USA Lutino and the European Ino should not be bred to each other.  This is  stated in THE GUIDE TO GOULDIAN FINCHES, published by ABK in 2005.   Mixing the USA Lutino with the European Ino could possibly be the demise of  both mutations.  I am of the opinion that the USA lutino should not be bred to SF or DF Pastel Green to insure that the breeding methods of the USA Lutinos remain simple. 

My thanks to Marek Buransky for helping me understand the differences in the genotype of the European Ino in comparison to the  USA Lutino.

 
NOTE: I am selling a limited number of USA Lutino Females and Males  in 2015. There will not be any Black Headed White Breasted USA Lutinos sold, which should help prevent the mixing of  the USA Lutino and the European Ino  by error.       

        PLEASE CONSIDER THIS DOCUMENT A WORK IN PROGRESS.

                            WRITE Gfinches2@aol.com about corrections for Genotypes.  

                                    Winnie McAlpin at Gfinches2@aol.com                                                                    USA Lutino at Delmar Gouldian Aviary                                                            http://www.geocities.com/gfinches2/Delmar_Gouldians.html                                                           

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