The history of the Opaline that has been related to me by three well-known famous names in the fancy they are Cyril Rogers, Harry Bryan and Bill Cox. A few years ago Cyril explained that the Opaline originated from four different places. A hen was captured in the wild in Australia. Another came to light in Europe, he thinks it was Holland, this was a Greywing, and by the way this Greywing was nearly silver in colour a lovely colour Cyril told me. Nearer to home at about the same time Harry said someone bred another Opaline that had small spots showing more opalescence, this one came from a fancier in Wolverhampton in the Midlands, unfortunately he could not remember the person's name. The fourth variety came from north of the border in Scotland; this one had an abundance of melanin, hence the larger spots and darker markings on the saddle. Bill Cox had laid claim to being the first to pair Opalines together, as they recall used to have quite a variety of birds about including a number of Opalines.

The Opaline a light green ideally should be an even grass green consisting of fluorescence sheen all over the body with the exception of the head and face. This should be yellow extending over the head to merge into the body colour near the wing butts. The back inclusive of the v between the wings should show no black marking whatsoever. The tail should merge from the grass green of the body to blue with no yellow present. The wings black markings on a green background, (not black on a yellow background as is present on a normal green). The wings should be as free as possible from thumbprints and fading. Any markings on the head and back of the neck are a fault. As regards my own personal experience regarding the breeding of Opalines over the last few years, I have strived to retrieve and breed the colour and all opalescence back into them. Using the good coloured Opaline spangles to do this has enhanced them tremendously. I also breed my own normal/Opaline there are a lot of advantages by breeding your own split normals making sure you have no flecking in the background is one, orders are using the best Opaline you have to a normal that is off good colour with a deep wide face is another. Also one must keep away from any bird with grey in it such as grey greens as they seem to have a dulling effect when using a grey-green to green. I also find good coloured Opaline blue yellow faces useful for pairing into Opalines and normals of the green series, as it seems to give a nice colour to the face.

I find to achieve the correct markings on the wings is one of the most difficult aspects of all. The cleaner you get in the saddle, that the poorer the wing markings seem to get. After repeated attempts to finally succeed and have both he clean saddle coupled with good wing markings displayed an even opalescence colour would make it all worthwhile.

Speaking for a personal view I have not achieved that goal yet. I think the perfect Opaline is one hell of a challenge.