The pearl cockatiel has a scalloped appearance due to the loss of melanin on the middle part of the feathers,
resulting in a feather with a white or yellowish middle and a dark margin. The degree of pearling is variable.
Some have only a few feathers lightly pearled while others (sometimes called lacewings) are extremely heavily pearled with little
of the dark margin to the feather remaining. The female in the photo is moderately pearled.
Female pearl cockatiels will retain their pearl markings throughout their life,
while male pearls will begin to lose them as new feathers replace the baby feathers during their first moult.
By the time a male is around 12 months old virtually all trace of their pearl origins has disappeared,
except for possible "ghost" pearl markings on some wing feathers. They are however still pearl cockatiels able to pass on
their pearl gene to any offspring.
