Every lovebird's appearance is built in two layers. First comes a base colour from the blue series (Green, Blue 1, Blue 2, Parblue, or Aqua), which sets the body tone. Then one or more mutations layer on top, each following its own inheritance rule. To use this chart, identify the base colour, list the mutations by their visual markers, then look up the pairing outcome. Genotypes are written in monospace so you can copy them straight into the calculator.
What are the base colours of a lovebird?
The base colour of a Fischer's lovebird is set by the blue locus, a single gene position with a series of alleles. Green is the wild type with full yellow pigment; the blue-series alleles progressively reduce that pigment until the bird reads as blue. Aqua and Parblue sit in between as the turquoise middle of the series. Every mutation in the next table layers on top of one of these base colours.
| Base colour | Appearance | Genotype (blue locus) |
|---|---|---|
| Green (wild type) | Full green body, orange-red face mask. Maximum yellow psittacofulvin pigment over structural blue. | bl+ / bl+ |
| Blue 1 (B1) | Single copy of the B1 blue-series allele on a green-looking bird. Carrier; no visible blue. | bl+ / bl(B1) |
| Blue 2 (B2) | Single copy of the B2 blue-series allele on a green-looking bird. Carrier; no visible blue. | bl+ / bl(B2) |
| Blue (visual) | Yellow pigment removed almost entirely. Blue body with a white face mask in Fischer's lovebirds. | bl / bl |
| Parblue (B1/B2) | Compound of the two blue-series alleles. Turquoise body with a distinctive yellowish or cream face mask. | bl(B1) / bl(B2) |
| Aqua B1 | Single-copy Aqua. Light-to-mid turquoise sea-green from partial pigment reduction. | aq(B1) / + |
| Aqua B2 | Single-copy Aqua of the second allele. Turquoise comparable to B1, slightly different tone. | aq(B2) / + |
| Aqua Homo | Homozygous Aqua (B1/B1 or B2/B2). Deepest, most saturated turquoise; passes Aqua to every chick. | aq(B1) / aq(B1) |
Mutation-by-inheritance master table
This is the heart of the chart. Every working mutation in Agapornis fischeri is sorted by how it passes to offspring, the field marker you use to spot it on a live bird, and the mutations it stacks with cleanly. Inheritance type is the single most important fact for planning a pairing, because it decides whether a trait can auto-sex, whether splits look normal, and how many copies a chick needs to show it. Classifications follow the Lovebird Compendium (Van den Abeele, 2016).
| Mutation | Inheritance type | Visual marker | Combines with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue (B1/B2) | Autosomal recessive | Yellow pigment removed; blue body, white face | Opaline, Cinnamon, Ino, Dark Factor |
| Aqua | Autosomal recessive (allelic) | Turquoise sea-green body; normal dark eyes | Opaline, Pale Fallow, Yellow Face, Cinnamon |
| Opaline | Sex-linked recessive | Mask colour spreads onto crown and back; cleaner wings | Aqua, Blue, Cinnamon, Yellow Face |
| Cinnamon | Sex-linked recessive | Brown-toned (not black) markings; plum-red eyes at hatch | Opaline, Aqua, Blue, Dilute |
| Lutino (SL Ino) | Sex-linked recessive | All melanin gone; yellow body, red eyes, orange face | Opaline (forms the lacewing look) |
| Albino | Sex-linked recessive (Ino on blue) | White body, red eyes; Ino layered on a Blue base | (Ino + Blue combination) |
| Pale Fallow | Autosomal recessive | Softened body colour; red-pink eyes | Aqua, Blue, Opaline |
| Dun Fallow | Autosomal recessive | Greyed-brown dilution; dark plum eyes | Blue, Aqua |
| Bronze Fallow | Autosomal recessive | Burgundy-brown tone; bright red eyes | Blue, Aqua (pair with care) |
| Dilute | Autosomal recessive | Body colour lightened; eyes and feet stay normal | Blue, Aqua, Opaline |
| Yellow Face | Autosomal recessive | Yellow restricted to or intensified on the face | Aqua, Blue, Opaline |
| Dark Factor | Autosomal incomplete dominant | Body darkens by one step (D) or two steps (DD) | Any base colour, Violet |
| Violet | Autosomal incomplete dominant | Violet sheen, strongest as single-factor on blue series | Dark Factor, Blue, Aqua |
Autosomal recessive: needs two copies to show; a split looks normal and can be either sex. Sex-linked recessive: sits on the Z chromosome, so certain pairings auto-sex the chicks. Incomplete dominant: shows with one copy (single factor) and shows more strongly with two (double factor).
Model any pairing in the calculator
Pick both parents, add their splits, and get exact offspring percentages instantlyQuick reference: visual x visual pairings
When both parents visibly show the same autosomal recessive mutation, every chick inherits it, because each parent can only pass the recessive allele. The table below covers the most common same-mutation visual crosses. The one trap is the Aqua allele system, where B1 and B2 are different alleles and cannot combine into the homozygous form.
| Visual x Visual pairing | Visual offspring | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Blue x Blue | 100% Blue | Both parents pass the blue allele to every chick |
| Lutino x Lutino | 100% Lutino | Sex-linked, but two visuals still give all Lutino chicks |
| Dilute x Dilute | 100% Dilute | Clean autosomal recessive result |
| Aqua B1 x Aqua B1 | 25% Homo · 50% B1 · 25% Normal | Same-allele cross is the route to Aqua Homo |
| Aqua B1 x Aqua B2 | 50% Aqua · 50% Normal | No Homo possible; alleles differ, see warning below |
| Pale Fallow x Pale Fallow | 100% Pale Fallow | Red-pink eyes in every chick |
| Bronze Fallow x Bronze Fallow | 100% Bronze Fallow | Pair with care; high chick fragility in this cross |
Aqua B1 and Aqua B2 are separate alleles. A B1 parent contributes only B1 or Normal; a B2 parent contributes only B2 or Normal. No chick can ever receive two identical Aqua alleles from this cross, so it cannot produce Aqua Homo no matter how many clutches you run. Confirm allele identity before pairing. Full breakdown in the Aqua genetics article.
Quick reference: split x split pairings
A split carries one copy of a recessive mutation but looks completely normal. Pairing two splits of the same autosomal recessive mutation is the classic Mendelian cross: one quarter visual, one half split, one quarter pure normal. The catch is that the visual and the split look identical to non-carriers, so records matter.
| Split x Split (same AR mutation) | Visual | Split (carrier) | Pure normal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal/Blue x Normal/Blue | 25% | 50% | 25% |
| Normal/Aqua x Normal/Aqua (same allele) | 25% | 50% | 25% |
| Normal/Pale Fallow x Normal/Pale Fallow | 25% | 50% | 25% |
| Normal/Dilute x Normal/Dilute | 25% | 50% | 25% |
Quick reference: Aqua x Aqua pairings
Aqua deserves its own table because it is an allelic, multi-state system rather than a simple on-off recessive. A bird can be a single-allele visual (B1 or B2) or a homozygous Homo, and the pairing outcome depends on the exact combination. These ratios are symmetric: substitute B2 for B1 in any same-allele row and the percentages are identical.
| Aqua pairing | % Homo | % Aqua visual | % Normal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aqua Homo x Aqua Homo (same allele) | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Aqua Homo x Aqua B1 visual | 50% | 50% | 0% |
| Aqua B1 visual x Aqua B1 visual | 25% | 50% | 25% |
| Aqua Homo x Normal (pure) | 0% | 0% (100% split) | 0% |
| Aqua B1 visual x Aqua B2 visual | 0% | 50% | 50% |
Quick reference: Opaline auto-sexing pairings
Opaline is sex-linked recessive, and that single fact unlocks auto-sexing: in the right pairings you can sex visual chicks in the nest without a DNA test. This works because the Opaline gene sits on the Z sex chromosome, and male and female chicks inherit the Z chromosomes differently. The table below shows the headline pairings; the sex-linked mutations guide and the how to breed Opaline article cover every combination.
| Opaline pairing (male x female) | Opaline chicks | Non-Opaline chicks | Auto-sexes? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opaline male x Normal female | Always female | Split males (normal-looking) | Yes |
| Opaline/split male x Normal female | Opaline chicks always female | Normal chicks need DNA to sex | Partial |
| Opaline/split male x Opaline female | Both sexes possible | All chicks need DNA to sex | No |
| Normal male x Opaline female | None visual; split daughters lost | Sons are split; daughters normal | No |
Female lovebirds carry one Z chromosome and males carry two. When an Opaline male (carrying the gene on both Z chromosomes, or on one as a split) is paired to a normal female, every daughter receives her single Z from the father. If that Z carries Opaline, she shows it. Sons receive one Z from each parent, so a son needs the gene from both to show Opaline, which a normal mother cannot supply. That asymmetry is what lets you read sex straight from the nest.
Don't memorise, model it
Drop both parents into the calculator and read the full sexed breakdown for any pairing on this chartHow to use this chart in a real pairing
Work the layers in order. First read the base colour from the body and face mask using the base-colour table, then list every mutation you can see using the visual-marker column of the master table. Write the bird as a genotype, combining the base colour with each mutation. Do the same for the second parent, then choose the pairing-outcome table that matches: visual x visual, split x split, Aqua x Aqua, or an Opaline auto-sexing cross. The ratios there are your starting expectation.
The reference tables cover single-mutation crosses cleanly, but real birds often carry two or three mutations at once, and once you stack an autosomal trait with a sex-linked one the arithmetic stops being something you want to do by hand. That is exactly what the calculator is for: it applies independent assortment across every locus and returns the sexed percentages in a second. Treat this chart as the map and the calculator as the route planner.
Identifying an unknown bird from the chart
To classify a bird with no records, run the visual markers in a fixed order. Check the eyes first: red or plum eyes point to an Ino or a fallow, which immediately narrows the field. Next read the body colour against the base-colour table to place it in the blue series. Then look for pattern changes, such as the mask colour spreading onto the crown and back that signals Opaline, or brown-toned rather than black markings that signal Cinnamon. Each marker in the master table is chosen to be the most reliable field clue for that mutation.
Visual identification narrows the possibilities, but it cannot confirm splits or distinguish a homozygous Aqua from a single-allele visual with certainty. For those, a test pairing or DNA test is the honest answer. The chart is built to get you to a confident shortlist; breeding records and lab work close the gap.
References
- Van den Abeele, D. (2016). Lovebird Compendium. Ornitho-Media. ISBN 978-90-822990-0-3.
- Wikipedia contributors. Lovebird. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 2026.
- BirdLife International. Agapornis fischeri, Fischer's Lovebird. BirdLife Species Factsheet. Accessed 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is a lovebird colour breeding chart?
A lovebird colour breeding chart maps each colour and mutation in Agapornis fischeri to its genetic behaviour: what a bird looks like, what genes it carries, and how each mutation passes to offspring. A complete chart, like this one, also includes pairing-outcome tables for common crosses such as visual x visual, split x split, and Aqua x Aqua, so you can plan pairings and identify unknown birds in one place.
What are the base colours of Fischer's lovebirds?
The base colours form a series on the blue locus: Green (wild type) with full yellow pigment, then Blue 1, Blue 2, and visual Blue with progressively less yellow. Aqua and Parblue sit in between as turquoise forms. Every other mutation, such as Opaline or Cinnamon, layers on top of one of these base colours rather than replacing it.
Which lovebird mutations are sex-linked?
In Agapornis fischeri the main sex-linked recessive mutations are Opaline, Cinnamon, and Lutino (sex-linked Ino). Because these genes sit on the Z sex chromosome, certain pairings auto-sex the chicks: an Opaline male x normal female, for example, gives Opaline chicks that are always female. Autosomal recessive mutations such as Aqua, Blue, and the fallows behave the same in both sexes and do not auto-sex.
What does a visual x visual lovebird pairing produce?
For an autosomal recessive mutation, two visuals of the same mutation produce 100 percent visual offspring, because each parent can only pass the recessive allele. Blue x Blue gives all Blue; Lutino x Lutino gives all Lutino. The exception is the Aqua allele system: an Aqua B1 visual crossed with an Aqua B2 visual cannot produce the homozygous Homo form, because the two alleles are different.
How do I read the mutation inheritance table?
Read each row left to right: the Mutation column names the trait, the Inheritance column states how it passes (autosomal recessive, sex-linked recessive, or incomplete dominant), the Visual marker column gives the field clue you use to spot it on a live bird, and the Combines with column lists mutations that stack cleanly. Confirm an unknown bird by its visual markers, then by breeding records, before assigning a genotype.
Can I use this chart for all lovebird species?
The inheritance principles apply across the Agapornis genus, but the specific colours, allele names, and outcomes here are written for Agapornis fischeri. Most mutations also occur in peach-faced and masked lovebirds under the same recessive, sex-linked, or dominant categories, but market naming and exact expression can differ between species. Verify a bird's base colour and allele identity against records for its own species before pairing. The calculator on this site is tuned for Fischer's lovebird genetics.