Opaline in the Turquoise Parakeet

Sex-linked recessive Pattern Symbol: op ~4 min read

Also written as: op Z-linked Opaline

Quick summary

Opaline is a sex-linked recessive mutation that redistributes melanin pattern rather than removing it — it reduces the dark markings and lets more of the underlying yellow/red pigment show through, especially toward the head and back. Like Cinnamon, it's Z-linked: cocks can be split for it invisibly, hens cannot. Opaline and Cinnamon sit on the same Z chromosome, physically close together.

What is the Opaline mutation?

Opaline is logged in this calculator's reference data as a sex-linked recessive pattern mutation, producing pigment "re-distribution" rather than pigment loss. It's one of the most widely documented pattern mutations across psittacines — the equivalent mutation in budgerigars is extensively studied and shows the same underlying mechanism: melanin gets pushed away from areas it normally darkens, letting the psittacofulvin (yellow/red) and structural-blue layers dominate more of the plumage.

How it works, in plain terms

In wild-type plumage, dark melanin markings create barring and edging across the back, wings, and head. Opaline loosens that pattern: melanin retreats from areas it would normally cover, most noticeably clearing a patch on the back of the head and neck, and thinning the dark edging on the wing feathers. The net effect is a brighter, more evenly colored bird with less contrast between the "dark" and "light" areas of the wild-type pattern.

Opaline + Cinnamon: both loci sit on the Z chromosome, physically close enough that they're inherited together far more often than independent genes would be. This calculator still models them as independently assorting (the standard simplifying assumption breeders use), so real clutches can skew from the calculated odds when both are in play — see the note that appears in your results whenever both are set. See the Cinnamon guide for the other half of this pairing.

Opaline + Red Suffusion: adding Opaline to a red-suffused bird produces maximal red coverage, extending red pigment from the throat to the lower belly. Campagne (2008) restricts that outcome to the best-selected hens (p.123) — so treat it as the ceiling a well-bred hen can reach, not a guaranteed result for every chick. See the Red Suffusion guide for more.

Sex-linked inheritance, explained

Opaline sits on the Z chromosome, so cocks (ZZ) and hens (ZW) inherit it differently:

Cocks (ZZ) can be Normal, split for Opaline (carrying one copy, invisible), or visually Opaline (two copies).
Hens (ZW) have only one Z chromosome, so there's no "split" state — a hen is either wild-type or visually Opaline.

Genotype → phenotype

Sex	Genotype	Appearance
Cock	Z⁺ / Z⁺	Normal
Cock	Z⁺ / Zᵒᵖ	Normal — split for Opaline
Cock	Zᵒᵖ / Zᵒᵖ	Visual Opaline
Hen	Z⁺ / W	Normal
Hen	Zᵒᵖ / W	Visual Opaline

Sources & honesty note

The inheritance type, symbol, category, and both interaction rules (with Cinnamon and Red Suffusion) for Opaline in Neophema Pulchella come from this calculator's own compiled reference library. The plain-language explanation of pattern redistribution above draws on well-established, cross-species psittacine genetics; it has not been verified line-by-line against Neophema-pulchella-specific photographs. See the full references page for this project's other sources.