How to Distinguish the Sex of Your Parakeets? and other Pet Birds

Translated by Nick R

A recurrent question in pet bird keeping is: What is the sex of our birds? It is not so obvious and makes us wonder how to tell the difference. Below, you’ll find out exactly how to recognize the sex of your bird. Read on!

Table of Contents

Sexual dimorphism in birds

This term refers to a sexual differentiation between males and females in terms of their physical and ethological (behavioral) characteristics.

When it comes to birds, it sometimes becomes difficult to distinguish between male and female, especially in the early stages of development. If you want to distinguish the sex of your dog or cat, you simply need to look underneath and that’s it! Fortunately, birds in many cases exhibit dimorphism and this makes things easier, so pay attention to the details.

Sexual dimorphism is seen in parakeets, as well as in other bird species, as differences in plumage, song, size, crests, beak, and colors, among other characteristics. However, this doesn’t occur in all species of the animal kingdom, some animals are so similar in males and females that they can hardly be distinguished.

How to identify the sex of my parakeet?

In Australian parakeets there are several differences between males and females, learn which ones here.

Knowing the sex of my parakeet by the cere

The cere is the fleshy covering over the beaks of Australian budgerigars, where the nostrils, two deep breathing holes, are located. You can distinguish the sex of your parakeets by the color of the cere after 4 months of age, when the bird has matured and its cere has changed color, much more so in males.

Male parakeets

Before maturity, males and females have a very similar cere color with a pale pink tone. After maturity, the male’s cere becomes pink or deep blue in most cases. The deep blue is often seen in mutations of parakeets.

While during the mating season some parakeets will have darker shades of blue, in some cases even purple.

The exceptions to the rule are albino parakeets (white with red eyes), which, in males, will have a purple cere and never change color.

Female parakeet

The only difference with the male in its youth is that the female has whitish halos around the nostrils.

The female that reached adulthood has a whitish cere when she is out of estrus and not interested in reproduction, with slightly duller colors than the male, showing grayish tones in the upper part of the cere and dull blue underneath.

The cere shows a tan color when the female is in estrus. During the mating season, the wax changes to darker shades up to brown.

Note

Keep in mind that there may be hormonal changes or mutations in the females that could confuse you, indicating the wrong color. Therefore, if your female parakeet presents color as an adult and it changes to another undefined color, take her to the veterinarian.

Knowing the sex of my parakeet by its behavior

Another way, a little more complicated, is to identify certain behavior patterns that differentiate males from females.

Males	Females
Males are more sociable and less territorial.	Females normally tend to be more skittish and aggressive during mating season. This is because chicks are more territorial than males, as they guard their chicks from any threat.
Males tend to be louder than females, emitting more musical and extended sounds. While they are not songbirds, the boys love to feast.	Females emit shorter and less frequent sounds.
Males are calmer and less destructive.	Females tend to be more destructive, as they are instinctively in charge of building nests. Don’t find it strange that they destroy everything.
Males move their heads up and down and beat their cages with their beaks. These movements can be seen more intensely during courtship. Through this behavior they show themselves stronger and more dominant in front of the females.	Females are courted by males, so they don’t show this kind of behavior. On the contrary, they are receptive and choose the boy they like the most.

Knowing the sex of my parakeet through the coelom

An additional and slightly more complicated way to distinguish the sex of parakeets is through the coelom, a cavity destined to the passage of eggs that only females have, obviously.

To find this female structure, you take your parakeet very carefully and gently palpate under its belly. If you feel hollow, it is a female; if you don’t, it is a male. This method is only recommended for people who are used to taking care of birds and have a better knowledge of the species.

How to know the sex of other birds?

Apart from parakeets, other pet birds require different methods to know if the specimen is a male or female. Here are some of the most common in our homes:

How to distinguish the sex of your canary

To know if your canary is male or female there are four basic methods, learn about them here.

Physically, male canaries are more athletic, larger, and maintain an upright posture compared to females.
In mating season, males court females by singing; females sing little or not at all, and some only sing short melodies.
During estrus, females differ from males in that when they blow in the cloacal area, the males will have a protuberance, while females will have a flat cloacal area.
The behavior of females is more territorial and they tend to be more restless than males who are more confident and calm. You can notice this behavior by observing young specimens closely enough.

How to identify the sex of your cockatiel

Once the cockatiel is an adult, after 6 to 9 months, you’ll be able to distinguish the differences between males and females through their physical traits. In that case, we will refer to the gray cockatiels (standard color).

The plumage of the male is more colorful than the female’s and tends to be more intense.
Females have markings on the underside of the tail feathers, dots or horizontal stripes that alternate between gray, dark gray, white and yellow.
The feathers are more striking in males, and the characteristic orange circles on the face are more intense than in females.
Males are better at vocalizing words and making sounds.
The behavior of the male in courtship seeking to attract the attention of the female is a sign. The male will strike objects with his beak and lift his wings away from his body while walking pompously.

Fun Fact

The cockatiel has a masturbation ritual, some may do it every day and others from time to time What?

Yes, it’s a little strange relative to other bird species, I know. The male usually rubs his cloaca against other objects or stands on them, while the female rests on the object with her tail up and body leaning forward.

Now you know how to tell if your bird is male or female, try to put what you have learned into practice.