Colour coded budgies

[Marianne Marlow]

My budgies seem to have colour coded themselves. Last night George moved over to the yellow/green cage for bedtime.

So now we have a blue cage and a yellow green one 🙂

Do budgies choose the way that they feel safe by spending time with similar coloured budgies to themselves? is it a survival instinct for camouflage?

Photos were taken the morning after.

Peter, Iris, Bertie and Blithe (Blithe is a double factor spangle but has a blue belly)

Colin (he's the odd one out as he's a Grey dilute), George, Daisy and Billy

[blueelephant]

I love this Marianne Marlow!

I think you should test your theory. You need a third cage and a bunch more grey budgies and then to wait and see what happens 😂

[Hezz]

I’ve not had the numbers to be able to test your theory, but I do believe that like attracts like - we’ve seen it so often on this forum - where budgies of particular colours seem to naturally be drawn to each other.

[samwiseg]

I actually think this has been questioned before but can't remember by who!

Would skysmum be able to contribute here because she has multiples?

I'd be interested to see if this was the case!

[Marianne Marlow]

samwiseg It might have been me

Last night, George went back in his own cage, but he has been spending a lot of time playing with Billy who is also mostly green.

Incidentally both of George previous hen-friends were blue, but as I have had fewer hens than boys, this could just be a coincidence. I've never had a green hen.

[samwiseg]

I think it might have been someone else but I can't be sure!

But think it is probably possible that your theory is true as its like the flock thing...plus another thought, it would also mean they are aware of their own colour too!

Rather sciency innit?!

[Hezz]

If they weren’t aware of their own (natural) colouring, they wouldn’t ostracise those that hatch with the odd mutation in the wild, surely.

[samwiseg]

That's a thought Hezz - even Shirls said about how her chickens used to pick on the "coloureds" so there must be a colour prejudice in birds too!

[Deleted]

They can see colour very well, after all, and if you're a flock creature then different or sick individuals just draw attention to you all.