Cinnamon budgerigar mutation
Encyclopedia
The Cinnamon budgerigar mutation is one of approximately 30 mutations affecting the colour of budgerigar
s. It is the underlying mutation of the Cinnamon variety and, with Ino
, a constituent mutation of the Lacewing variety.
. The long tail feathers are lighter than Normals. The body color and cheek patches are much paler, being about half the depth of colour of the Normal. The feathers of Cinnamons appear tighter than Normals, giving a silky appearance. It is these quiet pastel shades and the sleekness of the plumage that give the variety its appeal.
The eyes of the newly-hatched Cinnamon are not black like the eyes of Normals, but deep plum-coloured. This colour can be seen through the skin before the eyes open
, and immediately after opening a reddish-brown gleam can be seen. A few days later the eye darkens and is then barely distinguishable from the that of a Normal chick, but by this time the difference in down colour is visible: Normal chicks have grey down, but Cinnamon (and Opaline
and Ino
) chicks have white.
The skin of Cinnamon chicks is also redder than Normal's, and this persists into adulthood: the feet of Cinnamons are always pink rather than bluey-grey. The beak tends to be more orange in colour.
Superficially, the Cinnamon is very like the two types of Fallow, the German Fallow
and the English Fallow
, but the eye of the Cinnamon is the usual black with white iris (except for the first few days after hatching, when it is purplish or plum-coloured) whereas the eyes of both varieties of Fallow are red at all ages. The body colour of the Cinnamon is also a rather deeper shade of green or blue than that of the Fallows.
, Cambridgeshire, in 1935 and said then to be at least 50 years old was thought by Cyril Rogers to be wild-caught when he examined it
.
The first Cinnamon to be reported in Britain was a Cinnamon White
Blue
hen bred in 1931 from a pair of Light Green split blues by Miss M E J Hughes and her brother Mr G N Hughes of Hampton Hill
, Middlesex. This bird was exhibited in 1931 and 1932, although not described as a Cinnamon as that name had not then been adopted. The mutant hen and its sire died without further issue
. Mr I J J Symes gave a description
of what he called "the brown factor" in this bird, saying the wing markings varied from raw umber to burnt sienna.
Mr A D Simms, of Potter's Bar, also in Middlesex at the time, paired together several Dark Green
split greywing
sibling
s in 1931 bred from an Olive
cock and a Greywing Light Green hen. Among other, eight Greywing Greens, all hens, were bred which showed a "rather peculiar colour in their nest feathers". These hens were probably Cinnamons or Greywing Cinnamons, but as the Cinnamon variety was not known at the time they were regarded as slightly strange Greywings.
Mr G F Porter of Codicote
, near Hitchin
, in Hertfordshire, obtained a pair of Dark Green split greywings from Mr Simms, and he too bred what he called Greywing Green hens. One of these he paired to a Cobalt split dilute cock and this pairing produced, among other progeny, a Cobalt cock which was later found to be split for Cinnamon and Dilute. This cock, paired to a Dark Yellow split blue hen, bred a Cinnamon Skyblue hen in early 1933. Other pairings of descendents from Mr Simms' Dark Green split greywings produced a Cinnamon Olive and a Cinnamon Cobalt for Mr Porter, also in 1933
. Towards the end on 1933 M Porter bred a Dark Green Cinnamon cock—the first Cinnamon cock to appear in Britain
.
Mrs A Collier of Luton
also bred two Cinnamon hens in 1933, a Mauve and an Olive, but as these were both from stock obtained from Mr Porter, these were almost certainly the same mutation. Mrs Collier was the first to report the characteristic plum-coloured eyes of the very young Cinnamon chick, perhaps being prompted to look for this as it was already a known characteristic of the Cinnamon Canary.
Further Cinnamons appeared in 1933 in the aviaries of Mr G Hepburn of Peterhead
, Aberdeenshire. These Cinnamons were bred from a pair of Light Greens obtained from a dealer in Aberdeen
, but the ring on the cock showed it came from a Mr Banham, who lived near Victoria Station in London. Mr Hepburn attempted to trace the origin of his birds but was unable to establish a firm link to Mr Simms' birds. Nevertheless, all three Cinnamon mutations, those of Messrs Hughes, Simms and Hepburn, originated within a circle of 15 miles radius and within two years of each other. This strongly suggests the importation of a single Cinnamon carrier cock into the Middlesex area around 1930.
Mr S E Terrill reported that the first Australian Cinnamon appeared about August, 1931, near Adelaide
. In 1934 Mr Terrill said
he had "four or five cock Cinnamons of two, probably three, generations and about 36 Cinnamon hens of at least three generations." Mr Schumacher, of Magdeburg
, Germany, also bred budgerigars with brown wings in 1932, but he disposed of them the year after and it is not known if these were Cinnamons.
Towards the end of 1934 the Budgerigar Society recognised the Cinnamon variety for exhibition purposes and published its show standard.
, the locus
of its gene
being carried on the X chromosome
, and recessive
to wild-type. This was determined first by Mr Cyril H Rogers working with Mr Simms and Mr Porter. It was reported in the Budgerigar Bulletin as early as August 1933
, and in more detail in September 1934
. At the time of the first report a Cinnamon cock had never been bred. The first cock appeared late in 1933 as a result of a deliberate mating by Mr Porter of a Cinnamon hen and a split Cinnamon cock.
Cinnamon-like mutations are known in many other bird species, including the Canary, Greenfinch
, Peach-faced Lovebird and Cockatiel
. All these Cinnamon mutations are sex-linked recessives.
The gene locus has the symbol cin. The wild-type allele
at this locus is notated cin+ and the Cinnamon allele is notated cin.
In birds, the cock has two X chromosomes and the hen has one X and one Y chromosome. So in hens whichever allele is present on the single X chromosome is fully expressed in the phenotype
. Hens cannot be split for Cinnamon (or any other sex-linked mutation). In cocks, because Cinnamon is recessive, the Cinnamon allele must be present on both X chromosomes (homozygous) to be expressed in the phenotype. Cocks which are heterozygous for Cinnamon are identical to the corresponding Normal. Such birds are said to be split for Cinnamon, usually written '/cinnamon'.
The table on the right shows the appearance of all possible genetic combinations involving the Cinnamon mutation.
The Cinnamon gene is linked
to other genes located on the X chromosome, i.e. to the genes of other sex-linked mutations. These sex-linked mutations include the Opaline
, Ino
and Slate
mutations. The cross-over
or recombination
values between Cinnamon and these linked genes has not been measured accurately, but results collected by C Warner and T Daniels found 41 crossovers in 113 between Cinnamon and Opaline, giving a recombination ratio of 36±6%. The Ino gene is known to be very close to the Cinnamon gene; for details see the Ino budgerigar mutation
.
C H Rogers, reporting early breeding results in 1939
, notes the breeding of Cinnamon Slates by Mr G W Roderick, of Purley
and Mr L Trevallion of Loughton
, Essex. The appearance of two Cinnamon Slates by 1939 suggests these two genes are not closely linked.
Cocks split for both Cinnamon and Opaline have one Cinnamon allele and one Opaline allele together with one each of the corresponding wild-type alleles. The linkage between the Cinnamon and Opaline genes gives rise to two types of split cinnamon opaline cocks, both visually identical.
Hens cannot be split for any sex-linked gene, so only cocks exist in Type I and Type II form.
Budgerigar
The Budgerigar , also known as Common Pet Parakeet or Shell Parakeet informally nicknamed the budgie, is a small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrot, and the only species in the Australian genus Melopsittacus...
s. It is the underlying mutation of the Cinnamon variety and, with Ino
Ino budgerigar mutation
The Ino budgerigar mutation is one of approximately 30 mutations affecting the colour of budgerigars. It is the underlying mutation of the Albino and Lutino varieties and, with Cinnamon, a constituent mutation of the Lacewing variety.- Appearance :...
, a constituent mutation of the Lacewing variety.
Appearance
All the markings which appear black or dark grey in the corresponding Normal appear brown in the Cinnamon, of a shade similar to that of white coffee. The Cinnamon markings on cocks tend to be considerably darker than on hens. The long tail feathers are lighter than Normals. The body color and cheek patches are much paler, being about half the depth of colour of the Normal. The feathers of Cinnamons appear tighter than Normals, giving a silky appearance. It is these quiet pastel shades and the sleekness of the plumage that give the variety its appeal.
The eyes of the newly-hatched Cinnamon are not black like the eyes of Normals, but deep plum-coloured. This colour can be seen through the skin before the eyes open
, and immediately after opening a reddish-brown gleam can be seen. A few days later the eye darkens and is then barely distinguishable from the that of a Normal chick, but by this time the difference in down colour is visible: Normal chicks have grey down, but Cinnamon (and Opaline
Opaline budgerigar mutation
The Opaline budgerigar mutation is one of approximately 30 mutations affecting the colour or appearance of budgerigars. It is the underlying mutation of the Opaline variety...
and Ino
Ino budgerigar mutation
The Ino budgerigar mutation is one of approximately 30 mutations affecting the colour of budgerigars. It is the underlying mutation of the Albino and Lutino varieties and, with Cinnamon, a constituent mutation of the Lacewing variety.- Appearance :...
) chicks have white.
The skin of Cinnamon chicks is also redder than Normal's, and this persists into adulthood: the feet of Cinnamons are always pink rather than bluey-grey. The beak tends to be more orange in colour.
Superficially, the Cinnamon is very like the two types of Fallow, the German Fallow
German Fallow budgerigar mutation
The German Fallow budgerigar mutation is one of approximately 30 mutations affecting the colour of budgerigars. At least three types of Fallow, the German, English, and Scottish, all named after their country of origin, have been established, although none of these types is common. They are...
and the English Fallow
English Fallow budgerigar mutation
The English Fallow budgerigar mutation is one of approximately 30 mutations affecting the colour of budgerigars. At least three types of Fallow, the German, English and Scottish, all named after their country of origin, have been established, although none of these types is common. They are...
, but the eye of the Cinnamon is the usual black with white iris (except for the first few days after hatching, when it is purplish or plum-coloured) whereas the eyes of both varieties of Fallow are red at all ages. The body colour of the Cinnamon is also a rather deeper shade of green or blue than that of the Fallows.
Historical Notes
Cinnamon specimens of many species have been observed in the wild. A stuffed Cinnamon Light Green budgerigar hen owned by Mrs Ellis of CottenhamCottenham
Cottenham is a village in Cambridgeshire, England. It is close to The Fens. Before the fens were drained in the 19th century Cottenham was on the last contour before the waterlogged marshes, with Ely being the nearest dry land around to the north-east....
, Cambridgeshire, in 1935 and said then to be at least 50 years old was thought by Cyril Rogers to be wild-caught when he examined it
.
The first Cinnamon to be reported in Britain was a Cinnamon White
Dilute budgerigar mutation
The Dilute budgerigar mutation is one of approximately 30 mutations affecting the colour of budgerigars. It is one of the constituent mutations of several recognised varieties: the Light, Dark, Olive, Grey and Suffused Yellows and the Grey and Suffused Whites....
Blue
Blue budgerigar mutation
The Blue budgerigar mutation is one of approximately 30 mutations affecting the colour of budgerigars. It is part of the genetic constitution of the following recognised varieties: Skyblue, Cobalt, Mauve and Violet.- Appearance :...
hen bred in 1931 from a pair of Light Green split blues by Miss M E J Hughes and her brother Mr G N Hughes of Hampton Hill
Hampton Hill
Hampton Hill is a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, bounded approximately by Fulwell Golf Course to the north, Bushy Park to the east and the Longford River to the south and west...
, Middlesex. This bird was exhibited in 1931 and 1932, although not described as a Cinnamon as that name had not then been adopted. The mutant hen and its sire died without further issue
. Mr I J J Symes gave a description
of what he called "the brown factor" in this bird, saying the wing markings varied from raw umber to burnt sienna.
Mr A D Simms, of Potter's Bar, also in Middlesex at the time, paired together several Dark Green
Dark budgerigar mutation
The Dark budgerigar mutation is one of approximately 30 mutations affecting the colour of budgerigars. It is part of the genetic constitution of the following recognised varieties: Dark Green and Olive in the green series and Cobalt, Mauve and Violet in the blue series.- Appearance :Budgerigars...
split greywing
Greywing budgerigar mutation
The Greywing budgerigar mutation is one of approximately 30 mutations affecting the colour of budgerigars. It is the underlying mutation of the Greywing variety...
sibling
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
s in 1931 bred from an Olive
Dark budgerigar mutation
The Dark budgerigar mutation is one of approximately 30 mutations affecting the colour of budgerigars. It is part of the genetic constitution of the following recognised varieties: Dark Green and Olive in the green series and Cobalt, Mauve and Violet in the blue series.- Appearance :Budgerigars...
cock and a Greywing Light Green hen. Among other, eight Greywing Greens, all hens, were bred which showed a "rather peculiar colour in their nest feathers". These hens were probably Cinnamons or Greywing Cinnamons, but as the Cinnamon variety was not known at the time they were regarded as slightly strange Greywings.
Mr G F Porter of Codicote
Codicote
Codicote is a large village, and civil parish about seven miles south of Hitchin in Hertfordshire, England. It has timber-framed and chequered brick houses, of special interest being the 18th-century Pond House and the half-timbered "As You Like It" Peking restaurant . Codicote Lodge is 18th...
, near Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 30,360.-History:Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people mentioned in a 7th century document, the Tribal Hidage. The tribal name is Brittonic rather than Old English and derives from *siccā, meaning...
, in Hertfordshire, obtained a pair of Dark Green split greywings from Mr Simms, and he too bred what he called Greywing Green hens. One of these he paired to a Cobalt split dilute cock and this pairing produced, among other progeny, a Cobalt cock which was later found to be split for Cinnamon and Dilute. This cock, paired to a Dark Yellow split blue hen, bred a Cinnamon Skyblue hen in early 1933. Other pairings of descendents from Mr Simms' Dark Green split greywings produced a Cinnamon Olive and a Cinnamon Cobalt for Mr Porter, also in 1933
. Towards the end on 1933 M Porter bred a Dark Green Cinnamon cock—the first Cinnamon cock to appear in Britain
.
Mrs A Collier of Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
also bred two Cinnamon hens in 1933, a Mauve and an Olive, but as these were both from stock obtained from Mr Porter, these were almost certainly the same mutation. Mrs Collier was the first to report the characteristic plum-coloured eyes of the very young Cinnamon chick, perhaps being prompted to look for this as it was already a known characteristic of the Cinnamon Canary.
Further Cinnamons appeared in 1933 in the aviaries of Mr G Hepburn of Peterhead
Peterhead
Peterhead is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement , with a population of 17,947 at the 2001 Census and estimated to have fallen to 17,330 by 2006....
, Aberdeenshire. These Cinnamons were bred from a pair of Light Greens obtained from a dealer in Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, but the ring on the cock showed it came from a Mr Banham, who lived near Victoria Station in London. Mr Hepburn attempted to trace the origin of his birds but was unable to establish a firm link to Mr Simms' birds. Nevertheless, all three Cinnamon mutations, those of Messrs Hughes, Simms and Hepburn, originated within a circle of 15 miles radius and within two years of each other. This strongly suggests the importation of a single Cinnamon carrier cock into the Middlesex area around 1930.
Mr S E Terrill reported that the first Australian Cinnamon appeared about August, 1931, near Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. In 1934 Mr Terrill said
he had "four or five cock Cinnamons of two, probably three, generations and about 36 Cinnamon hens of at least three generations." Mr Schumacher, of Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
, Germany, also bred budgerigars with brown wings in 1932, but he disposed of them the year after and it is not known if these were Cinnamons.
Towards the end of 1934 the Budgerigar Society recognised the Cinnamon variety for exhibition purposes and published its show standard.
Genetics
The Cinnamon mutation is sex-linkedSex linkage
Sex linkage is the phenotypic expression of an allele related to the chromosomal sex of the individual. This mode of inheritance is in contrast to the inheritance of traits on autosomal chromosomes, where both sexes have the same probability of inheritance...
, the locus
Locus (genetics)
In the fields of genetics and genetic computation, a locus is the specific location of a gene or DNA sequence on a chromosome. A variant of the DNA sequence at a given locus is called an allele. The ordered list of loci known for a particular genome is called a genetic map...
of its gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
being carried on the X chromosome
X chromosome
The X chromosome is one of the two sex-determining chromosomes in many animal species, including mammals and is common in both males and females. It is a part of the XY sex-determination system and X0 sex-determination system...
, and recessive
Recessive
In genetics, the term "recessive gene" refers to an allele that causes a phenotype that is only seen in a homozygous genotype and never in a heterozygous genotype. Every person has two copies of every gene on autosomal chromosomes, one from mother and one from father...
to wild-type. This was determined first by Mr Cyril H Rogers working with Mr Simms and Mr Porter. It was reported in the Budgerigar Bulletin as early as August 1933
, and in more detail in September 1934
. At the time of the first report a Cinnamon cock had never been bred. The first cock appeared late in 1933 as a result of a deliberate mating by Mr Porter of a Cinnamon hen and a split Cinnamon cock.
Cinnamon-like mutations are known in many other bird species, including the Canary, Greenfinch
Greenfinch
-Birds:* Black-headed Greenfinch * European Greenfinch * Oriental Greenfinch * Vietnam Greenfinch * Yellow-breasted Greenfinch -Other:...
, Peach-faced Lovebird and Cockatiel
Cockatiel
The Cockatiel , also known as the Quarrion and the Weiro, is the smallest cockatoo endemic to Australia. They are prized as a household pet and companion parrot throughout the world and are relatively easy to breed...
. All these Cinnamon mutations are sex-linked recessives.
The gene locus has the symbol cin. The wild-type allele
Allele
An allele is one of two or more forms of a gene or a genetic locus . "Allel" is an abbreviation of allelomorph. Sometimes, different alleles can result in different observable phenotypic traits, such as different pigmentation...
at this locus is notated cin+ and the Cinnamon allele is notated cin.
| Sex | Genotype | Phenotype |
|---|---|---|
| Cocks | cin+/cin+ | Normal |
| cin+/cin | Normal (/cinnamon) | |
| cin/cin | Cinnamon | |
| Hens | cin+/Y | Normal |
| cin/Y | Cinnamon |
In birds, the cock has two X chromosomes and the hen has one X and one Y chromosome. So in hens whichever allele is present on the single X chromosome is fully expressed in the phenotype
Phenotype
A phenotype is an organism's observable characteristics or traits: such as its morphology, development, biochemical or physiological properties, behavior, and products of behavior...
. Hens cannot be split for Cinnamon (or any other sex-linked mutation). In cocks, because Cinnamon is recessive, the Cinnamon allele must be present on both X chromosomes (homozygous) to be expressed in the phenotype. Cocks which are heterozygous for Cinnamon are identical to the corresponding Normal. Such birds are said to be split for Cinnamon, usually written '/cinnamon'.
The table on the right shows the appearance of all possible genetic combinations involving the Cinnamon mutation.
The Cinnamon gene is linked
Genetic linkage
Genetic linkage is the tendency of certain loci or alleles to be inherited together. Genetic loci that are physically close to one another on the same chromosome tend to stay together during meiosis, and are thus genetically linked.-Background:...
to other genes located on the X chromosome, i.e. to the genes of other sex-linked mutations. These sex-linked mutations include the Opaline
Opaline budgerigar mutation
The Opaline budgerigar mutation is one of approximately 30 mutations affecting the colour or appearance of budgerigars. It is the underlying mutation of the Opaline variety...
, Ino
Ino budgerigar mutation
The Ino budgerigar mutation is one of approximately 30 mutations affecting the colour of budgerigars. It is the underlying mutation of the Albino and Lutino varieties and, with Cinnamon, a constituent mutation of the Lacewing variety.- Appearance :...
and Slate
Slate budgerigar mutation
The Slate budgerigar mutation is one of approximately 30 mutations affecting the colour of budgerigars. It is the underlying mutation of the Slate variety.- Appearance :...
mutations. The cross-over
Genetic linkage
Genetic linkage is the tendency of certain loci or alleles to be inherited together. Genetic loci that are physically close to one another on the same chromosome tend to stay together during meiosis, and are thus genetically linked.-Background:...
or recombination
Genetic recombination
Genetic recombination is a process by which a molecule of nucleic acid is broken and then joined to a different one. Recombination can occur between similar molecules of DNA, as in homologous recombination, or dissimilar molecules, as in non-homologous end joining. Recombination is a common method...
values between Cinnamon and these linked genes has not been measured accurately, but results collected by C Warner and T Daniels found 41 crossovers in 113 between Cinnamon and Opaline, giving a recombination ratio of 36±6%. The Ino gene is known to be very close to the Cinnamon gene; for details see the Ino budgerigar mutation
Ino budgerigar mutation
The Ino budgerigar mutation is one of approximately 30 mutations affecting the colour of budgerigars. It is the underlying mutation of the Albino and Lutino varieties and, with Cinnamon, a constituent mutation of the Lacewing variety.- Appearance :...
.
C H Rogers, reporting early breeding results in 1939
, notes the breeding of Cinnamon Slates by Mr G W Roderick, of Purley
Purley
- in England :*Purley, London**Purley Way, out-of-town retail area*Purley-on-Thames, in Berkshire- People :*David Purley , British race driver*Purley, several members of a fictional family in 1996's Secrets & Lies...
and Mr L Trevallion of Loughton
Loughton
Loughton is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located between 11 and 13 miles north east of Charing Cross in London, south of the M25 and west of the M11 motorway and has boundaries with Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill...
, Essex. The appearance of two Cinnamon Slates by 1939 suggests these two genes are not closely linked.
Cocks split for both Cinnamon and Opaline have one Cinnamon allele and one Opaline allele together with one each of the corresponding wild-type alleles. The linkage between the Cinnamon and Opaline genes gives rise to two types of split cinnamon opaline cocks, both visually identical.
- Type I split cinnamon opalines cocks are bred by mating Cinnamon Opalines to Normals and have the two mutant alleles on the same chromatidChromatidA chromatid is one of the two identical copies of DNA making up a duplicated chromosome, which are joined at their centromeres, for the process of cell division . They are called sister chromatids so long as they are joined by the centromeres...
, symbolised as cin+-op+/cin-op. Geneticists call this 'couplingGenetic linkageGenetic linkage is the tendency of certain loci or alleles to be inherited together. Genetic loci that are physically close to one another on the same chromosome tend to stay together during meiosis, and are thus genetically linked.-Background:...
' rather than 'Type I'. Because of the linkage, the Cinnamon and Opaline alleles from Type I cocks tend to be inherited together in their progeny. When mated to Normal hens, Type I cocks produce predominantly Cinnamon Opaline and Normal hens, with Cinnamon and Opaline hens resulting rarely from a cross-over. Roughly one third of the hens will be Cinnamon-Opaline, one third Normal, one sixth Cinnamon and one sixth Opaline.
- Type II split cinnamon opaline cocks are bred by mating Cinnamons to Opalines and have the Cinnamon and Opaline mutant alleles on opposite chromatids, symbolised as cin+-op/cin-op+. Geneticists call this 'repulsionGenetic linkageGenetic linkage is the tendency of certain loci or alleles to be inherited together. Genetic loci that are physically close to one another on the same chromosome tend to stay together during meiosis, and are thus genetically linked.-Background:...
' rather than 'Type II'. Because of the separation, the Cinnamon and Opaline alleles from Type II birds tend to be inherited separately in their progeny. When mated to Normal hens, Type II cocks produce predominantly Cinnamon and Opaline hens, with Cinnamon Opaline and Normal hens resulting rarely from cross-overs. Roughly one third of the hens will be Cinnamon, one third Opaline, one sixth Cinnamon Opaline and one sixth Normal.
Hens cannot be split for any sex-linked gene, so only cocks exist in Type I and Type II form.