A mate has 4 cockatiels in an aviary and wants to know how to tell the sexes.
All I could do was laugh and say I have no idea.
to which he replied ' but your the birdman' (my nickname at work)
told him I would try and find out how to tell them apart.
I got the nickname a few weeks ago when a workmate came round to pick up some tools for a job and saw the aviaries.
he couldnt believe that 60% of my backyard is aviaries, with another in the planning stages.
How to sex............
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jusdeb
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- Location: Western Plains NSW
# I can tell with my handreareds by their behaviour , girls are more cuddly and boys are noisy and naughty. But this is what Ehow reckons.
Know how old the bird is. All cockatiels will have female coloring until their first molt. That means if the birds is under 6 months old, you will not be able to visually determine if it is a boy or a girl. You can usually tell after the first molt, but it may take another molt or two before the bird's true coloring comes through.
#
2
Look at the face. Most male cockatiels have a bright yellow face and bright orange cheeks. Female cockatiels usually have a grey or white face and duller orange patches. Males also tend to have a taller crest (spikey feathers on their head) while female's have a shorter crest. Some mutations, like Pied cockatiels, will throw a wrench into this analysis because they do not always have the same coloring scheme as the regular grey cockatiel. Lutino cockatiels do not have grey pigment, so they can also be hard to sex by just the face standards.
#
3
Check the tail feathers and wings. Look at the underside of the tail feathers. Females have dark bars on the bottom side of the tail feathers. Males do not. Also, females may have spots on the underside of their wings. This will be very important if you have a pied cockatiel. Some male pieds have the darker face, duller orange patches and even grey in the crest, but there is no barring on the tail feathers or spots under the wings. This method can be difficult with lutino cockatiels. The barring on the tail feathers may be a very light yellow, so you will have to look closely. Does it have pearling on the wings and stomach? If the cockatiel is over 6 months old, it is a girl. Male Pearl cockatiels loose their pearling after their first molt.
#
4
Watch them if you can't tell. Males will start practicing their "courting" song and dance early on. They will also hold their wings away from their bodies so it looks almost like a heart shape. If you notice any of these behaviors, your bird is a male.
The above is pretty well on the money but if all else fails DNA solutions will sort it out. Good luck some of them are pert near impossible to tell , my Ollie was a boy until she started laying eggs lol yes she actually whistled and talked like a boy ( Lutino so no other way to tell )
Know how old the bird is. All cockatiels will have female coloring until their first molt. That means if the birds is under 6 months old, you will not be able to visually determine if it is a boy or a girl. You can usually tell after the first molt, but it may take another molt or two before the bird's true coloring comes through.
#
2
Look at the face. Most male cockatiels have a bright yellow face and bright orange cheeks. Female cockatiels usually have a grey or white face and duller orange patches. Males also tend to have a taller crest (spikey feathers on their head) while female's have a shorter crest. Some mutations, like Pied cockatiels, will throw a wrench into this analysis because they do not always have the same coloring scheme as the regular grey cockatiel. Lutino cockatiels do not have grey pigment, so they can also be hard to sex by just the face standards.
#
3
Check the tail feathers and wings. Look at the underside of the tail feathers. Females have dark bars on the bottom side of the tail feathers. Males do not. Also, females may have spots on the underside of their wings. This will be very important if you have a pied cockatiel. Some male pieds have the darker face, duller orange patches and even grey in the crest, but there is no barring on the tail feathers or spots under the wings. This method can be difficult with lutino cockatiels. The barring on the tail feathers may be a very light yellow, so you will have to look closely. Does it have pearling on the wings and stomach? If the cockatiel is over 6 months old, it is a girl. Male Pearl cockatiels loose their pearling after their first molt.
#
4
Watch them if you can't tell. Males will start practicing their "courting" song and dance early on. They will also hold their wings away from their bodies so it looks almost like a heart shape. If you notice any of these behaviors, your bird is a male.
The above is pretty well on the money but if all else fails DNA solutions will sort it out. Good luck some of them are pert near impossible to tell , my Ollie was a boy until she started laying eggs lol yes she actually whistled and talked like a boy ( Lutino so no other way to tell )
Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue.
David Brent
David Brent