Male or Female?

[Beaky]

Hi all,

Please can someone tell me the sex of my nearly 14 month old cockatiel?

The breeder said it was male, however I've read online that males lose their pearls between 6-12 months. He/she has had a molt, although not sure if it was a full molt or not.



Anyone know by looking at the picture?

Thanks in advance

 

[Finchbreed]

Those bright orange cheek patches are the typical hallmarks of a male Cockatiel.
He's a nice looking example of a pearl bird.

 

[Karearea]

Those bright orange cheek patches are the typical hallmarks of a male Cockatiel.
He's a nice looking example of a pearl bird.

Unfortunately this isn't true, not all mutations follow the same rules wild-type cockatiels do. All pearl females look this way even as adults, while males eventually lose the pearl markings but still have the same bright cheek markings.

I would wait until the first molt to see if anything changes. If so, male. If not, female. Best of luck

 

[Finchbreed]

Mutations do vary considerably, in my observations over the past 40+ years.
But cheek patches are always brighter on males, and paler on females.
Time is always the surest way to tell gender.

 

[Squacco]

As already said male pearls begin to lose the pearls after their first moult. Females will keep them. Distinguishing the brightness of the cheek is more on a professional level if even that, mutation and age can change the vibrancy of the cheek as much (if not more) than gender will.
However males are usually more outgoing and will sing. Females tend to be more reserved and at the right age will lay eggs.
Your bird may also be cinnamon but its hard to tell due to the lighting.

Also, lovely bird I love pearl cockatiels

 

[Beaky]

Ok, so still non the wiser. Would they not have had their first molt by 14 months?

 

[Finchbreed]

Usually yes.

 

[Shezbug]

Hi all,

Please can someone tell me the sex of my nearly 14 month old cockatiel?

The breeder said it was male, however I've read online that males lose their pearls between 6-12 months. He/she has had a molt, although not sure if it was a full molt or not.

View attachment 460982

Anyone know by looking at the picture?

Thanks in advance

Please familiarise yourself with the forum rules as pictures like this are not generally allowed to stay due to how dangerous this situation is for the bird. You can find the forum guidelines here: Avian Avenue Community Guidelines & Etiquette

 

[Beaky]

Noted.
My whippet is the most calm dog, the bird is definitely the one in charge lol.

Here's another picture, maybe someone can give me a more definitive answer?

 

[pinkfluff]

Does your bird do heart wings? Sing? Mimic? Do they vocalise more extensively than just flock calling? Given they're at 14 months, do they rub their rear on items? These are primary behavioural indicators of male. But, given it is not a wild-type, always good to get a DNA test to give that 100% assurance!

 

[Karearea]

Noted.
My whippet is the most calm dog, the bird is definitely the one in charge lol.

Here's another picture, maybe someone can give me a more definitive answer?

View attachment 461161

One thing that might help, do you know what color mutations the parents had? Both cinnamon and pearl are sex-linked color mutations, meaning that sex plays a role in how they're inherited.
If the dad had the genes for cinnamon and pearl (split or visual) and the mom didn't, your bird would definitely be a female.
If both parents had them, though, it could go either way.
You could ask the breeder if you're unsure, they should hopefully know what genes their birds have.

 

[Coffee4359]

It took 3 molts for my male pearl to lose most of his pearls, and he still has a few splotches. He lost around half of his pearls after his first molt.

Some breeders think they can guess a bird's sex, but until they are mature, the only way to tell is to get them DNA tested. After maturity, you can usually tell based on appearance and egg laying behavior.

 

[Squacco]

Noted.
My whippet is the most calm dog, the bird is definitely the one in charge lol.

Here's another picture, maybe someone can give me a more definitive answer?

View attachment 461161

Your bird is definitely a Cinnamon Pearl, extremely beautiful!!!
If you say that your bird is indeed 14months, considering that's a yr and two months, I'm inclined to say this is a female. I would expect to see the pearls disappearing just a bit. Does the bird sing? At this age a male would be singing, females can sing but not very well and its rare.

 

[Beaky]

Thanks for all the info, much appreciated.

I'm definitely leaning more towards female now. They have never sung, only wolf whistled or single chirps!

Also, no show of 'heart shaped' wings. I had to search on YouTube for this but I now see my bird doesn't display these.

Thanks again