Good Grief Whats Going On??!

[DrLuv]

I need input please...i have an all white cockatiel named Paulina that is definitely a female. Im not sure of her age. After I got her I bought a Lutino for company. The Lutino ..Lucille. .was young and shy. They are both in a very large flight cage and have the best of everything. As Lucille got older her behaviour has led me to believe she has serious gender confusion issues. At this point I have no idea what Lucille is. Paulina does the female mating dance at least once a day. As soon as she starts Lucille drops everything and dashes to get on top of Paulina. In the beginning Lucille seemed confused as to what to do...but now she is a pro. She's figured out how to maneuver her sexual part under Paulina's tail until both parts are rubbing together. And I've even seen Lucille putting her beak all over Paulina's face as though feeding or kissing her. When Paulina refuses I've seen Lucille throw her head feathers up..bob her head down once aggressively and flare her back feathers as though she is upset that Paulina refused. But than just about the time Im ready to change Lucille's name to Sylvester. ..she goes into the female mating dance herself!!!!! Now in the evening Lucille seems to be trying to talk more but she is now about 1 year old and never does the male courting songs or shapes her wings like a heart. She never seems to try to court Paulina. But wherever Paulina is in the cage eating Lucille will leave the food she is eating and get right up next to Paulina and move in and eat her food until she leaves and goes to another food dish. And several times a day Lucille is hanging upside down flapping her wing. Oh my!! Does anyone have any idea what sex Lucille is????
Dazed and Confused in LA
DrLuv

 

[Kodigirl210]

I’m not sure what’s going on but I would highly recommend doing a DNA sexing to be on the safe side. Either take them to the vet or you can send off to a lab.

iQBirdTesting – Avian DNA Bird Analysis – $11.99 DNA Sexing for birds

 

[AviaryByTheSea]

There is documented evidence of homosexual behaviors in more than 500 species of animals, cockatiels among them. It is more common than most people think in captivity.

 

[tka]

Get them DNA tested just in case, but same-sex behaviours are documented in hundreds of species. Same-sex pairs of birds even adopt abandoned fertile eggs and raise the chick, thus ensuring that a chick that otherwise wouldn't have survived is able to grow up. These same-sex pair-bonds can be just as stable and long-lasting as heterosexual pair-bonds.

Just because your cockatiels are performing mating behaviours with each other doesn't necessarily mean that they're gender confused! It's a normal thing that happens in the wild too.

 

[DrLuv]

Ok...thank you all for the responses. I really believe Lucille is a female simply because she makes a few sounds but never really sings and courts like the males ive had in the past.

 

[Weelasmaree]

Ok...thank you all for the responses. I really believe Lucille is a female simply because she makes a few sounds but never really sings and courts like the males ive had in the past.

How old is Lucille? My male was very quiet (and still is compared to other male tiels) and would only flock call until I got him a friend now he sings and talks to everything.