Baby cockatiel, male or female?

Question

okay i have a cockatiel, about 2 months old, i got it when it was one month. im pretty sure that it is still too young to tell if it's a boy or girl yet, but does anyone know how to tell once it's older?

Answer 1

It might lay an egg, I thought my cockateil was a boy at first but then she laid an egg!!lol

Answer 2

Yes, you're right. It's still too soon to tell. Usually the owners wait for the first molt.

With a Normal Grays it's easy. The males will molt out the baby feathers and the head will start turning yellow and cheeks will be bright orange. The barring on their tail feathers will disappear. The female barring will stay.

If the tiel's pearl (dots on the body), the pearling will fade a bit at males.

The only way to be absolutely sure (if you don't want to wait several months) is DNA testing. Log onto www.avianbiotech.com and ask for a free kit. I would go for a blood smear. They will send it to you. Then clip the nail a bit, so it bleeds or take your birdie to your vet or the petstore and they will clip it for you. Put few drops on the card and mail it with the check for $19.89. They will send you an email in 48 hours and the Certificate of s*x in few weeks.

Also you can always observe the vocal skills. The males are vocal - they whistle, sing and are generally noisier. My males LOVE the mirrors.

My female is much quieter.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Well, you can sometimes tell based on the color of the parents if you know it.

Otherwise, males of most varieties will develop bright yellow faces beginning at around 6 months.  They will also actively sing - females will usually do a single note chirp, the males will whistle a tune.

Edit:  Go ahead and laugh Sapphyre.  I've been working with cockatiels (had one the original pairs of Emeralds in 1996) far longer than there was even a title such as certified avian specialist.  Sure... you can do a DNA test but I assure you, major breeders like Feret, Burgin and Bailey aren't DNA testing every bird in their flock.  They are using tried and true methods that have worked for many years before DNA testing and Scott McDonald were available.  If you READ, you would see the answer is MOST varieties... The exceptions are derivatives of lutino or pied.  Any further questions?  How's that paper holding up for you now?

Answer 4

I want to clear one thing up. You can not go by the color of the bird. There are so many mutations of Cockatiels and the color means nothing. I have to laugh when people say just look at the color.

There is a way to tell the s*x without doing a DNA blood test, but it would be more accurate to wait until the bird is 6 months old.

It is call the pelvic check.

Hold the bird securely with one hand or have someone hold it for you. Locate the pelvic area on the bird with your index finger and gently place your finger on the 2 bones. If the 2 bone are spaced far apart so the tip of your finger can go between the 2 bones then the bird is a female. If the 2 bones are very close together then it is a male.

Sapphyre

Certified Avian Specialist