Anthracite budgies first appeared in the aviary of German breeder H. Lenk in 1998. They were able to reproduce quickly, the results of which proved the mutation was recessive. While Anthracites don’t look much different with one copy of the gene (split), two copies give them extremely dark coloration. They are often combined with blue and gray for greater effect. It’s believed that this mutation is the reappearance of an extinct mutation called English Recessive Grey, but this is up for debate. The first pictured budgie is a SF anthracite + dark green, while the second is a DF + blue (the typical look of most anthracites).
