bl tq is a genuine gene symbol. The 2016 Lovebird Compendium gene-symbol table lists turquoise as an autosomal recessive allele of the blue locus. That table is genus-wide and does not say which species carries which mutation. The Ornitho-Genetics VZW Agapornis mutation list updated 17 August 2025 does not record turquoise in Agapornis fischeri. In fischeri the bird sold as turquoise is the parblue compound, bl1 // bl2, one Blue 1 allele opposite one Blue 2 allele. That is what this site's calculator models, as Parblue (B1B2), and it is why there is no turquoise option to select.
What breeders mean by a turquoise Fischer's
In the market, turquoise is a colour word, not a genotype. It is used for a Fischer's lovebird whose green has been partly drained toward blue. That description covers several different blue-locus genotypes, which is exactly why the word causes trouble at the point of sale. The genotype behind most birds sold this way in Agapornis fischeri is the parblue compound, bl1 // bl2.
Nothing about that is a criticism of breeders. Trade names travel faster than gene symbols and they always have. The problem is only that a buyer who pays for a mutation, and a breeder who plans a line around one, both need to know which two alleles are actually in the bird. A colour word cannot tell them.
This page does one job: it states where the turquoise name currently stands in this species, with sources, and then tells you what to do about the bird in front of you.
Naming and species scope, stated plainly
Three claims anchor this page. Each one is sourced in full at the bottom.
- Turquoise is a real mutation name with a real gene symbol. The 2016 Lovebird Compendium gene-symbol table lists turquoise as bl tq, autosomal recessive, at the blue locus. Nobody invented the word.
- That table is genus-wide. It sets out symbols and inheritance modes for Agapornis as a genus. It does not assign mutations to individual species, so its inclusion of bl tq is not by itself a statement about fischeri.
- The current species record does not carry it. The Ornitho-Genetics VZW Agapornis mutation list, updated 17 August 2025, does not record turquoise in Agapornis fischeri.
In Agapornis fischeri the partial blue phenotype that the market calls turquoise is the parblue compound, bl1 // bl2. That is the genotype this site models, and it is the reason Parblue (B1B2) exists as a Bird Series option while turquoise does not. Type turquoise into the calculator search and it returns a note telling you the name is superseded for this species and pointing you to Parblue.
Everything above is about Agapornis fischeri. This page makes no claim at all about the status of turquoise in A. roseicollis, A. personatus, A. lilianae or A. nigrigenis. Those species have their own records and we have not established them here. If you are working outside fischeri, read the OGVZW list for your species rather than carrying this page across to it.
Where the turquoise name came from
The name is not an accident, and understanding its origin explains why it is still everywhere. The 2016 Lovebird Compendium classified the early yellow-masked fischeri as turquoise, treating it as a partial psittacine reduction allele of the blue locus. That is a real passage in a real book, and it is why a generation of breeders learned the word.
Two things happened afterwards. The blue-locus route survived, but under a different label: in this calculator it is Parblue (bl1 // bl2). And the current OGVZW Agapornis list records no turquoise in fischeri, listing instead orange face, gene symbol of, autosomal recessive on its own locus, as an original fischeri mutation. That is a different gene at a different locus, not a blue-locus allele.
Van den Abeele himself hedges the naming. OGVZW's FAQ of 9 March 2025 says an orange face mutation "probably" also exists in fischeri and that a more appropriate name still needs research. So treat the locus separation as settled and the trade name as unresolved. Anyone giving you a confident one-line answer about what to call these birds is overstating the evidence, including us if we did it.
The full treatment of that second route, the of gene and the yellow mask, is on the yellow face guide. This page stays with the blue-locus half of the story.
The parblue compound, and why it cannot breed true
Parblue is not a gene. It is a compound: one Blue 1 allele and one Blue 2 allele sitting at the same blue locus, written bl1 // bl2. Both are recessive to wild-type green, and because the two are different alleles of one gene, neither hides the other. The bird is visual.
That structure has a consequence buyers are rarely told about. Parblue cannot breed true. Pair parblue to parblue and each parent passes bl1 to half its chicks and bl2 to the other half, so the nest averages 25 percent Blue 1, 50 percent parblue and 25 percent Blue 2. Half the clutch, on average, is not the bird you were breeding for.
No bl1 // bl2 bird can produce 100 percent bl1 // bl2 offspring, because it cannot pass both of its alleles to the same chick. A seller promising a true-breeding "turquoise" fischeri is either describing a different genotype or describing something that does not exist. Ask which two alleles the bird carries.
For breeding programmes built on this genotype, including splits, combinations and the full pairing set, the parblue guide is the working page. This page is about the name; that page is about the breeding. For the blue series treated allele by allele, see the Blue 1, Blue 2 and parblue article, and for the index of every mutation modelled in this species, start at the lovebird mutation guides hub.
Every blue-locus pairing in Fischer's, recomputed
Every row below is computed from the two alleles each parent carries, using only the alleles this species is recorded as having: wild-type green, bl1, bl2 and bl aq. Percentages are averages over many chicks, not a promise about one clutch of four. A single slash marks a homozygote or a split, a double slash marks an allelic compound, the same convention used across this site.
| Cock | Hen | Offspring at the blue locus | % Parblue | % other visual | % green-looking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue 1 (bl1 / bl1) | Blue 2 (bl2 / bl2) | 100% bl1 // bl2 (Parblue) | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Parblue (bl1 // bl2) | Parblue (bl1 // bl2) | 50% bl1 // bl2 (Parblue), 25% bl1 / bl1 (Blue 1), 25% bl2 / bl2 (Blue 2) | 50% | 50% | 0% |
| Parblue (bl1 // bl2) | Blue 1 (bl1 / bl1) | 50% bl1 / bl1 (Blue 1), 50% bl1 // bl2 (Parblue) | 50% | 50% | 0% |
| Parblue (bl1 // bl2) | Blue 2 (bl2 / bl2) | 50% bl1 // bl2 (Parblue), 50% bl2 / bl2 (Blue 2) | 50% | 50% | 0% |
| Parblue (bl1 // bl2) | Green (+ / +) | 50% bl1 / + (Green / Blue 1, split), 50% bl2 / + (Green / Blue 2, split) | 0% | 0% | 100% |
| Parblue (bl1 // bl2) | Green / Blue 1, split (bl1 / +) | 25% bl1 / bl1 (Blue 1), 25% bl1 // bl2 (Parblue), 25% bl1 / + (Green / Blue 1, split), 25% bl2 / + (Green / Blue 2, split) | 25% | 25% | 50% |
| Green / Blue 1, split (bl1 / +) | Green / Blue 2, split (bl2 / +) | 25% bl1 // bl2 (Parblue), 25% bl1 / + (Green / Blue 1, split), 25% bl2 / + (Green / Blue 2, split), 25% + / + (Green) | 25% | 0% | 75% |
| Green / Blue 1, split (bl1 / +) | Green / Blue 1, split (bl1 / +) | 50% bl1 / + (Green / Blue 1, split), 25% bl1 / bl1 (Blue 1), 25% + / + (Green) | 0% | 25% | 75% |
| Parblue (bl1 // bl2) | Aqua B1 (bl aq // bl1) | 25% bl aq // bl1 (Aqua B1), 25% bl aq // bl2 (Aqua B2), 25% bl1 / bl1 (Blue 1), 25% bl1 // bl2 (Parblue) | 25% | 75% | 0% |
| Parblue (bl1 // bl2) | Aqua Homo (bl aq / bl aq) | 50% bl aq // bl1 (Aqua B1), 50% bl aq // bl2 (Aqua B2) | 0% | 100% | 0% |
| Aqua B1 (bl aq // bl1) | Aqua B2 (bl aq // bl2) | 25% bl aq / bl aq (Aqua Homo), 25% bl aq // bl1 (Aqua B1), 25% bl aq // bl2 (Aqua B2), 25% bl1 // bl2 (Parblue) | 25% | 75% | 0% |
| Aqua B1 (bl aq // bl1) | Aqua B1 (bl aq // bl1) | 50% bl aq // bl1 (Aqua B1), 25% bl aq / bl aq (Aqua Homo), 25% bl1 / bl1 (Blue 1) | 0% | 100% | 0% |
| Blue 1 (bl1 / bl1) | Blue 1 (bl1 / bl1) | 100% bl1 / bl1 (Blue 1) | 0% | 100% | 0% |
| Blue 1 (bl1 / bl1) | Green (+ / +) | 100% bl1 / + (Green / Blue 1, split) | 0% | 0% | 100% |
| Aqua Homo (bl aq / bl aq) | Green (+ / +) | 100% bl aq / + (Green / Aqua, split) | 0% | 0% | 100% |
The "green-looking" column merges pure wild-type green birds with green-looking splits, because you cannot separate those two by eye. Only a pairing in which at least one parent carries a wild-type allele can produce a green-looking chick at all. Every pairing above where neither parent carries a plus returns 0 percent green-looking chicks, because there is no wild-type allele in the pool to pass on.
Blue 1 x Blue 2 gives 100 percent parblue. This is the pairing that makes the bird, and it is the Punnett square at the top of this page.
Parblue x Parblue does not give 100 percent parblue. It averages 50 percent parblue and 50 percent visual Blue 1 or Blue 2. Plan clutches accordingly.
Parblue x Blue 1 is the diagnostic. A true parblue averages 50 percent Blue 1 and 50 percent parblue and never throws a green chick.
For the same treatment run across the aqua and blue crosses in full, work through lovebird pairing outcomes, every aqua and blue cross.
Telling parblue from the aqua series by eye
Honest answer first: you frequently cannot. Parblue and the aqua series are all partial reductions of the same yellow pigment at the same locus, differing in depth. Depth of colour is affected by feather condition, moult stage, light source and photography, so a lone bird in a phone picture is not assignable to a genotype.
What does hold across the whole locus is eye colour. Every blue-locus bird has normal dark eyes. Altered body colour combined with red or pink eyes means a fallow or an ino-type mutation is involved, and you are not looking at a blue-locus question at all.
The aqua series has its own depth of treatment, including how the three aqua forms differ from each other, on the aqua mutation guide, which is the blue-locus overview page for this site. This page does not repeat it.
Bought a turquoise Fischer's? Do this
A useful sequence, in order, costing you nothing but one season at worst.
- Ask the seller for alleles, not adjectives. The question is "which two blue-locus alleles does this bird carry", and the follow-up is "what colour were both parents". A breeder who keeps records can answer both in a sentence. One who cannot is selling you a colour, not a genotype.
- Ask whether the bird has ever produced a green chick. A green chick from a visual blue-locus bird proves it carries a wild-type allele, which rules out bl1 // bl2 parblue immediately.
- Test pair to a pure Blue 1. A true parblue averages 50 percent Blue 1 and 50 percent parblue, with no green chicks at all. This is the single most informative pairing you can run on an unknown bird of this type.
- Record the result against the bird's ring number before the next season starts. The value of a test pairing evaporates if you cannot remember which bird it applied to.
- Enter it in the calculator as Parblue (B1B2) once confirmed, and plan from the real ratios rather than from the trade name.
None of this makes the bird worse. A bl1 // bl2 parblue is a genuine, attractive, saleable bird. What changes is what you can promise about it and what you should pay for it. Buy the pedigree, not the adjective.
Select Parblue in the calculator
For a Fischer's lovebird sold as turquoise, the correct selection is Parblue (B1B2) in Bird Series. There is no turquoise option and that is deliberate, not an omission. The calculator carries a note on the name so that a breeder searching for turquoise is told what happened rather than left guessing.
Run the pairing that makes a parblue
Blue 1 x Blue 2 gives 100 percent parblue, the Punnett square at the top of this page.If you want the wider map of every gene modelled in this species rather than this one naming question, the complete lovebird genetics guide is the place to start, and what a split lovebird actually is covers the carrier idea from scratch.
Turquoise questions breeders ask
Is turquoise a real lovebird mutation?
Turquoise is a real mutation name with a real gene symbol, bl tq, listed in the 2016 Lovebird Compendium gene-symbol table. That table covers the whole genus and does not assign mutations to individual species. What changed is the species record for Agapornis fischeri.
Why does OGVZW no longer list turquoise in Fischer's?
The Ornitho-Genetics VZW Agapornis mutation list, updated 17 August 2025, does not record turquoise for Agapornis fischeri. We do not speculate about their reasoning. We report what the current list shows and model the blue locus to match it.
I was sold a turquoise Fischer's, what do I actually have?
Most likely the parblue compound, bl1 // bl2, one Blue 1 allele opposite one Blue 2 allele. Confirm rather than assume, because Blue 1, Blue 2 and the aqua series are all sold under loose colour names too. A test pairing settles it.
Is turquoise the same as parblue?
In Fischer's lovebirds, in practice, yes. The bird the market calls turquoise is the bl1 // bl2 parblue compound. Parblue is a compound at the blue locus rather than a gene of its own, which is why it cannot breed true.
Is turquoise the same as aqua?
No. Aqua is bl aq, a separate allele of the same blue locus, with its own gene symbol and its own visual forms. Turquoise and aqua are different names for different things and should never be swapped for one another.
What do I select in the calculator for a turquoise Fischer's?
Parblue (B1B2) in Bird Series. There is no turquoise option, by design. Type turquoise into the calculator search and it returns a note explaining that the name is superseded for this species and pointing you to Parblue.
Can two parblue lovebirds breed true?
No. Parblue is the bl1 // bl2 compound, so parblue paired to parblue averages 25 percent Blue 1, 50 percent parblue and 25 percent Blue 2. Half the nest on average is not parblue at all.
How do I prove a bird is really parblue?
Test pair it to a pure Blue 1. A true bl1 // bl2 parblue averages 50 percent Blue 1 and 50 percent parblue and never throws a green chick. Any green chick proves the bird carries a wild-type allele and is not parblue.
Sources and further reading
Every claim on this page that rests on published work is attributed below. Wording, tables and pairing calculations here are our own: nothing has been reproduced from Ornitho-Genetics VZW or MutaBase, whose material is © 2005-2026 Dirk Van den Abeele, all rights reserved.
- Ornitho-Genetics VZW. Agapornis mutation list, updated 17 August 2025. Primary source for the central claim of this page: turquoise is not recorded for Agapornis fischeri on the current list, and orange face (of) is listed as an original fischeri mutation. Accessed 2026.
- Van den Abeele, D. (2016). Lovebird Compendium. Ornitho-Media. ISBN 978-90-822990-0-3. Source for the gene-symbol table entry bl tq, autosomal recessive at the blue locus, and for the turquoise chapter, which classified the early yellow-masked fischeri as turquoise. Cited by chapter, not by page.
- Ornitho-Genetics VZW FAQ, 9 March 2025. Source for the hedge quoted above: an orange face mutation "probably" also exists in fischeri, and a more appropriate name still needs research.
- Van den Abeele, D. (2014). Blue, aqua and turquoise mutations in Lovebirds. Ornitho-Genetics VZW. Source for treating blue, aqua and turquoise as alleles of a single locus. Accessed 2026.
- MutaBase mutation database. Ornitho-Genetics VZW. Reference database for Agapornis mutation records. Accessed 2026.
- BirdLife International. Agapornis fischeri, Fischer's Lovebird. BirdLife Species Factsheet. Accessed 2026.