how do you tell the difference between a male and female ?Cockatiels?

Answer 1

You can't, unless one of them lays an egg, or you have a DNA blood test done. It's not expensive at all. (Very few people bother with surgical sexing anymore.)
Laying eggs=female. Lack of eggs=you still don't know.
(Females don't lay eggs unless the conditions are right.)

People will tell you that you can tell by the intensity of the orange spot on the face, but that's a fallacy. It's only a 'hint'....and often wrong.

An experienced avian DVM can give you an educated guess by palpating the pelvic area, but that's all it is....just an educated guess.

Answer 2

I agree with the breeder ..... FEMALES are unable to whistle like the males. Males have very prominent orange on their cheeks, females duller. If the bird is young though, you cannot tell until it is at least 6-9 months old (or it goes through it's first molt which happens about these ages). Females passed this age will have 'horizontal bars' in their tails when you are looking at them straight on (their beak facing your nose). There are SOME variations on color where this rule does not apply.. if the tiels are younger than their first molt ALL have the 'bar' thing. Look for one that makes a 'whistle' and then you'll know it's male. Females kinda 'scream' instead of whistle. Young ones don't do much, because they haven't learned yet. Trust the breeders, we know :)

Answer 3

With cockatiels it's pretty easy as long as they're over 6 months old. It gets harder with certain colors and if they're under 6 months of age.

In most cases the male has a solid colored tail with no stripes and a bright yellow face. Females have a grayer face with stripes on their tail. I find lutinos and Cinnamon's are hard to sex by using the face as females often bright yellow faces. But their tail feathers will be striped. Lutino females will have almost invisible yellow stripes on their tail.

White faced cockatiels can be sexed like the Grey's only males have a bright white face. White faced Females will have white and Grey stripes under their tails.

The color 'Pearl' is a little more complex to sex. If a bird has the splotched pattern that people recognize as pearl and the bird is over 6 months old it's guaranteed to be female. Males tend to moult out of that color when they get their adult feathers. Males then moult into a solid colored bird with the males colorful face mask.

Albinos (aka 'White face lutinos')and pieds can be very hard to sex so most folks DNA sex them. That requires you to pluck a few feathers from the bird's chest and sending them into a lab. Most countries have a large lab that you can send the feathers to. There's at least 2 major ones in the USA and one in Canada.

Don't sex a cockatiel by the brightness of the check patches as some males have very dull or pale cheeks and many females have vibrant colored cheeks. Check the stripes under you bird's tail and check to see how much yellow is on your bird's face :-) .

Answer 4

After reading the answers given by others i have seen some accurate and inaccurate answers.
The brightness of the cheek i would have to say isn't the best way to tell. It does give an idea, but can be wrong.
The lines on the tail is a more accurate way of telling and usually is accurate
but if you want to know for sure having a DNA test done is the best way to go. It isn't that expensive i have seen it done $25 up to $50.
hope this helps you out.

Answer 5

If they are the typical grey cockatiel you can tell fairly well by looking. Otherwise they have o be DNA tested through a blood test. In grey tiels the grown male has a more brilliant colored orange ear patch. The female's is rather dull.

Answer 6

Females of most colorations will have stripes on the underneath side of the tail and spots under the wings. Males will be solid.

Answer 7

You take them to the vets and he runs a DNA test. It takes several weeks to get the results back. You can tell the sex of birds within the first few hours after they are hatched.

Answer 8

with Cockatiels im not sure but your best bet would be to go and ask a vet

Answer 9

the female usually have striped tail feather underneath

Answer 10

With birds you have to get a DNA test done.