Red
Suffusion
by Doug
Bedwell
 Red Suffusion, sometimes
referred to as "red pied", is probably
not a true color mutation, strictly speaking, but
it is often mistaken for one, so I have included
it here. In fact, the causes of red suffusion are
not particularly well understood. Though many
breeders have claimed that this is a genetic
mutation, no one has been able to consistently
reproduce it through a series of generations,
which sheds considerable doubt that it is
actually a genetically heritable trait.
Red suffusion
typically appears as a series of red
"spots." It is generally believed that
the red spots are caused by some sort of dietary
problem, or liver disfunction while the feathers
were developing, which caused them to become
differently pigmented. The problem may well have
resolved itself before the differently colored
feathers are ever noticed.
Red suffusion is
frequently seen in very old birds, or young birds
before their first molt. The bird shown in the
picture accompanying this article showed the red
suffusion up until its first molt at around five
months of age. It has been over a year since that
molt, and the red color has not returned, nor has
the red shown up in any of that bird's close
relatives.
I am not aware of
red suffusion being clinically connected to any
sort of serious illness, though probably no
thorough research has been done on it, since it
is fairly uncommon. I am probably asked about it
two or three times a year, which may give you
some idea of how often it crops up. If a bird
shows red suffusion, you may want to keep an eye
on his activity level, and check his droppings to
be sure they look normal. It might be worthwhile
to have a good avian vet do a blood workup,
especially if the bird shows other signs of
illness. However, it is not uncommon for red
suffusion to appear in a bird that seems healthy
in every other regard. It may be that whatever
ailment caused the color has resolved itself even
before the color became evident, or it may be
that there is another explanation for the color.
 As there is, obviously,
much left to be learned about the causes of Red
Suffusion. If anyone reading this article has
encountered this coloring, I would be interested
in hearing about your experience with it.
Incidentally,
there is every reason to imagine that a truly red
mutation of the peachfaced will turn up at some
point. All the necessary pigments are there, so
if the right genetic "quirk" occurs at
some point, we could end up with "rosy
lovebirds" just as with "rosy
Bourkes". (I don't know a thing about rosy
Bourkes mind you, but I think that's what is at
work there). Anyway, if you thought that there
were a blue million color mutations now, just
wait, there will almost certainly be more.
The bird to the
left has an orange suffusion. Note that both of
the birds in these photos are lutinos.
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