The New B.S. Ideal - Quite A Surprise!

Before long we can expect to see the new Ideal from the Budgerigar Society and believe me, it will be a subject of long discussion among fanciers.

I was fortunate in get-ting a glimpse of the new Ideal some time ago and what struck me straight away was the difference between what is being shown, and winning on the show bench here in the U.K. these days. I do not intend comparing item by item these differences, but taking things as a whole, they are like soot and snow.

During the past ten years what has been winning on the U.K. show-bench bears little resemblance to the B.S. Ideal. (Correction: It does. It still carries the name ‘Budgerigar’.) I feel sure that any newcomer coming into our hobby and decide to breed birds like the existing Ideal would find out that he was always filling the last placing in the awards list. The winners would invariably be big, buffy birds, square faced with spots anything but round and those hanging below the mask. The wing feathers show little pattern and the feet are enclosed in feathers jutting out all over the place. Yes, that’s the type of bird the judges have been selecting for the past seven or more years.

I have referred in the past to the fact that some Grey Greens resembled a sack on the perch. Oh! yes, they had nice heads with minute spots, but they had no style or grace whatsoever. Yes, they were big and I think that was one reason the judges went for them. They certainly bore no comparison to either the picture or the wording of the Ideal. But they were the birds that were winning.

Should we, to keep up with the times, forget about (what is now) the old Ideal and concentrate on producing birds similar to the ones the judges like, and which win on the show bench. We could aim for similar, wide brows extending over the eyes, with of course, a blow, a square style face, buffy feathered and try to get some shape around the feet. The spots should be compatible to the size of the face and round in shape. Then you would have a bird which should be a real contestant on the show bench and that is what I somehow expected the new Ideal to look like because it appears that was what the judges and everyone seemed to be talking about! But we have been proved wrong!

It does not seem to me that what judges select as top winning birds of today have had all that much influence on the new Ideal. In fact the new Ideal has more of a similarity to the ‘old’ one, but with a number of modifications. And even more puzzling is the fact that most of those connected with the new Ideal are the very judges who have shown a preference to the feather sacks of today.

The wording of the Ideal bears far more resemblance to the new Ideal as portrayed by Eric Peake. The same can be said of the ‘old’ one as well, which was also the work of Eric Peake. What is confusing is how the winning birds, selected by experienced judges, portray the wording or picture of either Ideal. It’s so confusing!!

It will be a very strong and determined judge who will be able to place a graceful exhibit depicting the modern Ideal, in front of one of the ugly feather sacks. He would practically be creating a revolution.

However, to be perfectly fair, there is much I like about today’s winners. I particularly like the head qualities. I like the bird, which has a tremendous ‘blow’. A browy bird with that much sought after directional feathering is a ‘must’. I like a bird with a full face, between being rectangular and square.

The mask should be in proportion - better slightly long than being on the short side. The spots should be round and in proportion to the overall face. We have seen a few quite like this Ñ but only a few.

There is much I dislike about the ‘bottom half’ of many of the winning birds of today. Wing feathering, to start with, leaves much to be desired. Many have no pattern at all and in recent years you must have noticed how feathers jut out at angles.

Wing carriage is another sore point and when you look farther down where the feet are supposed to be what you really see is a mass of feathers and they are spreading out practically into a circle. Has this some connection with the droopy tails we are also now seeing?

I think the Eric Peake Ideal is a real challenge confronting our judges. Any changes will come slowly and I predict they will start on the bird’s ‘lower end’ where changes are really wanted. We need style and grace back in our show birds.

   © Gwyn Evans 2000