Male or Female?

[Bananerz]

Hello all, Ive recently adopted my first cockatiel, Bananas! However Im not entirely sure if 'she' is male or female. Ive done some reseach but am not completely satisfied with my own conclusions and would like some experienced opinions.
The previous owner mostly referred to Bananas as 'she' but also said 'he', not sure if it was a slip or if they werent 100% sure on gender.

Bananas is white and grey, in no particular pattern, with some yellow on 'her' tail feathers. Fairly bright orangecheeks, yellow face and crest. Has speckles under her tail feathers, not sure if that counts any towards barring.

Shes very docile, isnt much of an attention hoarder but shes new so she may just not be comfortable enough with me yet. She hasnt whistled or talked since I got her, but again shes new; prev. owner said she loves to whistle though.
She also Loves mirrors, or any reflective surface. I read that males tend to prefer mirrors to females, not sure if thats particularly true? She also used to live with other birds so maybe she just misses having her feathered friends.
No other gender defining behavior yet; no 'heart wings' or strutting, or anything else. Ahe was tapping her beak onher mirror last night but she mayve just been doing it to her reflection.

So, what do you think? Boy? Girl? No idea?

 

[Toffee's owner]

whoaa hard call. males tend to like their own reflection (LOLOL) so that could be a hint. All my females birds Ive had couldnt care less as regards to that. Id say a male.

 

[Bananerz]

Thanks for your input

I forgot to mention, I dont know if s/he has the spots under her wings females have, she wont let me check.
Also shes 1 1/2 years old if that helps.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I'm not sure about the gender of your bird, but congratulations, and Bananas sure is cute!

 

[sunnysmom]

Your tiel is cute! I'm not the best at sexing tiels but this may help: Sexing Cockatiels - Just Cockatiels!

It sounds like you know the "typical" male/female traits. Males tend to whistle, talk, beak bang and do bat wings. However, none of those are 100% as some females will too and vice versa.

 

[sunnysmom]

I just looked again at your pic- does she have pearls on her wings? If so and she's had her first molt, I think girl......

 

[Bananerz]

Thanks everyone!
I cant tell with her wings. Heres a better pic of her. The grey and white is sorta mixed together, but if i had to guess id say no pearls. Asked prev. owner about her first molt, no reply yet, but id assume so since shes over a year? Also included pic of her tail.

 

[JosienBB]

Welcome!

@Monica @expressmailtome

 

[Bananerz]

Thanks Josien!

Prev. owner responded, Bananas hasnt molted yet.
Also i finally got her to let me look under her wing a little, didnt see any spots but she wouldnt unfold her wing all the way, also her wings were clipped right before i got her so maybe Ill have to wait until they grow back?

 

[Bananerz]

And I checked out that site, Sunnysmom, very informative. However most of the methods dont seem applicable to Bananas, or Im not looking right (probably.) Only ones I havent done are the pelvic one, which Im afraid to do since Ive never done it and dont want to hurt her, and the feather plucking one. Which reminds me, prev. owner also said Bananas lost some tail feathers during an altercation with another bird but theyve grown back now.

 

[Monica]

1 1/2 years old, Banana's should have had at least one, if not two, molts by now.

I do not recommend giving mirrors to birds as they often do not know they are looking at their own reflection, which is unhealthy and can potentially lead to aggression and hormonal issues.


Behavior sounds female, but I'm leaning towards male. Bananas appears to be a pearl pied cockatiel without most of the pearls. How long did the previous owner have Bananas for? If at least a year or longer, any chance of photos when they first got Bananas?

 

[Bananerz]

They got Bananas when s/he was around 5-6 months. They dont have pics of her until she was a bit older though, which she looks the same now.
They said she hasnt molted yet because they keep their house the same temp year round, vet said that can confuse their molting cycle. Shes only lost some tail feathers which have grown back now.

 

[Bananerz]

She looks at all her reflections, even in windows/glass. But if I see her attitude change due to them Ill remove them.
She grew up with other birds, so I think its just because she recognizes her reflection as another bird and misses them.

 

[Bananerz]

Found some spotted feathers on her back near the base of her tail, between her wings, possibly pearls?
Though if she hasnt molted, wont I probably have to wait until she does?

 

[Lady Jane]

If you want to be positive on this birds sex when you go for a wellness check the vet can do a DNA test. It cost about $25 to $35. Or you can get a kit and do it at home but you will have to pull out a feather which I could never do. Molted feathers are not good for this test.

 

[Bananerz]

I asked my vet when I called to make Bananas first appt, they charge $75 for their tests. Theyre the only vet that takes birds in town so they scam as much as they can -.-
Maybe if after awhile and I still havent figured it out Ill have the test done.

 

[Skrub04]

Avian Services Center: DNA sexing and disease testing for all species of birds.

 

[Chopper]

I asked my vet when I called to make Bananas first appt, they charge $75 for their tests. Theyre the only vet that takes birds in town so they scam as much as they can -.-
Maybe if after awhile and I still havent figured it out Ill have the test done.

That's about the price my vet charges. You can do it yourself for $25 if you order the kit.

 

[Bananerz]

Thanks Skrub!

I just ordered one, hope it arrives soon.

 

[Chopper]

Well, if she lays an egg before the kit gets here then you will have a better clue.