This mutation was first discovered in a Flemish bird market by breeder Mr. Van Dijk in 1992. Despite their unique appearance, the two mutant birds had been overlooked by other visitors. This could have been because extra melanin would not only deduct points in shows, but wasn’t particularly rare and not known to be heritable. Whatever the case, they were taken in by Dijk and discovered to be a recessive mutation. Asis the nature of developing recessive mutations, inbreeding was necessary, which limited the genetic diversity of the resulting birds. This left them vulnerable to diseases, and caused several knocks in population over the years. Luckily, the variety was outcrossed, and has seemingly been doing well since.
Blackface budgies have their typical striped markings extended to cover their entire face. Some faded markings can be spotted on their chests as well. Their body color is also significantly darkened, making wild-type, Grey Green, or Blue individuals appear as if they are Dark Factor. Blackface budgies are often combined with the Blackwing mutation to form Double Blacks, which are almost completely covered by these dark grey markings (pictured second).
