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Violet
by Doug Bedwell, Revised by Blake Ma
 Without a doubt, one of the most spectacular
mutations to appear in the last few years has been the Violet. This
mutation was developed in Denmark in the late 1980's.
The presence of a violet
factor creates a strong violet suffusion throughout the body of the
bird. The rump color shifts from the tourquoise blue of the normal
peach to a vivid purple. Violet is semi-dominant, meaning that a bird
that has inherited the color from both parents (A "Double Factor
Violet") will show a deeper, more vivid coloring than a bird that
inherited the color from only one parent (a "Single Factor violet").
Though Double factor birds all show a strong violet color, the
intensity of the violet color in Single Factor birds varies greatly
from bird to bird.
Many breeders feel that the
violet color shows best when combined with the Whitefaced Blue
Mutation. Some Whitefaced Blue Violets are almost entirely violet bird,
with a soft white face and splendid purple rump. It is a very striking
combination.
 The
presence of a single dark factor can also enhance the strength of the
violet color and the violet throughout the bird's body. In a double
dark factor bird, however, the violet color is overwhelmed by the dark
factor, and is very difficult to detect.
 In the
past couple of years more breeders have been focusing on the violet
mutation and are now easier to find. Please see our Show
Classifications for Violet to see the different classes available
for violet birds. As mentioned above, you will find great variation
among violet birds with some showing a little peach on the forehead,
others showing hints of green and blue. It can also be difficult to
distinguish between a single violet with 1 dark factor(Medium) and a
double violet with 1 dark factor. A parent bird with a double factor
violet if paired with a non-violet bird will produce all single violet
babies.
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