Male versus female personality

[sachman]

Is there a difference in personality between male and female linnies? I know females may be more cage territorial but what about timidness, playfulness with toys, hand shyness, whistling ability, etc. Any differences to keep in mind? If I had a choice between one and the other is there a reason to favor one over the other? Thanks!
Mike

 

[Aves]

@jmfleish @Dona

 

[ParrotNuts]

@Leih

 

[Zara]

@Matto may be able to help with this question

 

[Dona]

Hi! I have a single female, nearly 3 years old. I'm not able to compare genders, but can tell you about Gigi. She's a charming little bird, sweet and sassy. She is cage and resource protective and would prefer I not touch her things. Mostly her response is a loud pretty chortle, but I know what it means. She will occasionally lunge and attempt to bite, but I get out of the way quickly. Gigi happily plays with toys, fighting, biting and hanging on them. It's very interesting how she manipulates her things, draping long toys over perches or woven through other things. Clever. She's very active with her toys part of every day. She especially shows off when company is here. As an adult she is hand shy but will step up briefly if asked. Then she flies away. She spends lots of time on my shoulder, arm and lap, so it's not that she doesn't want to be near me. It's the hands that bother her. Gigi knows many trick whistles, but no words. She does a wolf whistle, come here dog whistle, many versions of kisses and the eerie beginning of the tune from the spaghetti western, A Fistful of Dollars. They are very clear but somewhat quiet. So I have no experience with the differences between male and female, but I will say that Gigi is awesome. I just love her and she seems to love us too. After having many birds over many decades, I can't recommend Linnies enough.

 

[DuncanJac]

From my own experience, I can say that female birds are more "serious" and they're more like "mommy", not that cheerful, but pretty active with toys.

 

[Matto]

I've had male and female linnies, and it's hard to generalize because each bird is different. But females do tend to be more timid, more shy. Males are more outgoing but can be possessive of a partner. Males are better talkers, but all of my linnies talk to some extent. Male linnies are all obsessed with my girlfriend, while female linnies prefer me.

 

[Matto]

I love them equally and would not recommend one over the other as a pet.

 

[sachman]

Thanks for the answers. So if I can put together my two threads of 1 or 2 now with this one, does it matter if we get a female and then add a male shortly afterwards? Or should they be the same sex (2 females or 2 males). We would likely house them separately regardless. I would be a bit afraid of them boding and mating if we had one of each sex in the same cage.

 

[Matto]

They're going to bond regardless, and they will call for each other constantly if they're in seperate cages. You can start out with them in seperate cages, but plan to put them together eventually. I think same sex is best, but mixed sex isn't bad. They might form a stronger bond if mixed sex.

 

[Leih]

If you get mixed sexes you will need to deal with boiling eggs since they will be fertilized. I have two males, their personalities are very different from each other, but they are a bonded pair. They call for each other when they are out of the cage and only a foot apart

 

[UrbanSylvanus]

I'm a bit late to this thread, but from my experiences with my male Linnie (Machi) and female (Hiyoko),it seems like it depends on the individual bird.

For example, I can have Machi perch on my hand long enough to move him around, and sometimes I can get some scritches in. On the other hand, Hiyoko will only step up onto my hand if she needs help getting to where she wants to be, and she hops off as soon as she's close enough to do so safely. However, it doesn't seem like she has any issues with my hand when it's on something stable and she can snuggle up to it.

Both of them don't whistle, and this could be due to their ages, but Hiyoko is definitely more vocal overall, especially when she runs out of food in her container. However, she's mostly silent when it comes to being grabbed at the vet's while Machi will shriek the whole time (I shouldn't laugh, but he shrieked louder when the vet committed the greatest insult: examining his butt.)
It's definitely clear where each bird's priorities lie haha

As for sociability, it really feels like each bird has their own love language. Machi will press his beak between the bars or fluff up against them if he wants scritches, while Hiyoko....will come out and stare at us creepily if I'm pampering Machi at the time. Like I said before, she will come out and snuggle into my palm but that's basically it.

These two aren't bonded, but I feel like they do find companionship with each other. Machi has gotten quieter ever since Hiyoko arrived, and he seems over all happy that his occasional call is answered by another Linnie.

 

[Alliusis]

I've had 5 different linnies over the past few years and I find (from my limited experience) the individual personality varies more than the sex. I generally prefer male birds just because they don't have the risks associated with egg binding, but all of my linnies have been a delight with strong personalities and gentle dispositions. I'm not picky about my birds being hand tame, but I have started to clicker train so vet visits aren't so stressful, and they will gently touch my pinky finger with their beak when I present it (which is pretty funny).

 

[sachman]

So I have been visiting a pet shop that has a nice turqoise linnie. I know DNA is the only sure way to tell sex. But this one has two signs of a male as I understand them: black in the shoulders and more skin around the eyes. The tail has no black at all. DOes that sound like a female or male? Or are there really males with no black at all in the tail? The bird was quite active and climbing all over me! I was tempted to take him/her home right then!

 

[Matto]

So I have been visiting a pet shop that has a nice turqoise linnie. I know DNA is the only sure way to tell sex. But this one has two signs of a male as I understand them: black in the shoulders and more skin around the eyes. The tail has no black at all. DOes that sound like a female or male? Or are there really males with no black at all in the tail? The bird was quite active and climbing all over me! I was tempted to take him/her home right then!

Sounds like a female but it's hard to say without a picture.

 

[sachman]

So does that mean the tail is the best way to tell other than DNA?

 

[Matto]

So does that mean the tail is the best way to tell other than DNA?

In my experience, yes. I also use head and shoulder shape but it's hard to describe.

 

[sachman]

Thanks. I'll try to get a picture this week.

 

[sachman]

@Matto Pictures as promised. Let me know what you think (and before anyone gets on me for the clipped wings, they did that at the pet shop...I do not own the bird yet. I was not pleased....)
Let me know what you think re male/female

Mike

 

[sachman]

...and by the way, s/he does look like a turquoise with a greenish wash over the body. Is that usual for that colour? Is it a "baby thing"?