TANGERINE
ry//ry Ta//+

©John Pire
Rosy Tangerine (ry//ry Ta//+) with a "smoky neck ring" & "silver/grey flights"

The body of this bird is an intense rusty red color. The head, neck and breast are violet. Hens typically have a duller violet head, neck & breast coloration than males. Males & females can have the "tangerine" color suffused on the head & hindneck; this may be a facet of a pure Tangerine & not the Rosy Tangerine (this needs to be studied further). The flight feathers are from a grey to silvery grey to almost pure white in color. Neck ring should be "white", but can be light to dark gray. The eye color is chestnut red.

TANGERINE - by John Fowler who did excellent genetic research on this mutant.

TANGERINE or ROSY TANGERINE
Which one do I have?
For all practical purposes 98% of the birds seen today are probably Rosy Tangerine; the above description  was the first description given for the Tangerine mutant, having a violet head & neck. The "rosy-tangerine" is a recent corrected description. From data (Hein van Grouw) presented at the 2006 ADA Show it now suggests that it is quite simple to distinguish between the two varieties (mutants). Hein states: If the Tangerine has a light colored bill as seen in the picture below (France) the bird is homozygous for Rosy; if the bird has a dark or blackish bill then the bird is not homozygous for Rosy.  So, basically if you have a Rosy Tangerine the bird will have the light bill coloration & a Tangerine without the "rosy" will have a darkish bill. This also applies to Tangerine Pearled; Orange & Orange Pearled. Hein also states that Rosy should not have a dark bill, all Rosy's he has seen have the light bill with dark tip. Also, that if the Rosy has a dark bill it most likely had been hybridized with a ECD. Click on the above link & read more info on this controversy.
 

©John Pire
Tangerine (ry//ry Ta//Ta) with a "white neck ring" & "white flights" is actually a homozygous tangerine (Ta//Ta) without the modifier gene

Picture below shows the Tangerine (ry//ry Ta+) as found in France (this is called Rosy Tangerine)

©Fanch Gourvès - France

This is the first dominate color mutant discovered in Ringneck Doves. When breeding Tangerine to Tangerine you will get the expected results: 25% Tangerine Pearled - 50% Tangerine - 25% Wild Type. One should always breed for the "white neck ring & white flights".

Check out typically seen Feather Color Oddities in the Tangerines

 
Combination Colors