Male or Female Cockatiel?

Question

I've had my cockatiel for about nine months and I'm still not sure on the gender. I know people say if the cheeks are bright then it's a boy, but my cockatiel is about a year old (which I'm sure is a time they're at least beginning to be sexually matured) and is still pale in the cheeks. Then I heard if your bird has little grey lines under it's back tail feather it's a hen, and my bird has that. THEN people said my bird was grinding his beak, which meant "he is a boy." Someone who is sure, and hasn't just heard theories please help me! Thanks!

Answer 1

here are some good cockatiel websites
http://www.birdhouse.resteddoginn.ca/sexing.php
http://www.takoda-aviary.com/sexing.htm
I hope this helps, I looked through them, and I don't know what type cockatiel you have, so it's hard for me to say.
Good Luck

Answer 2

There are really only 2 ways to tell if it's a male or a female.
The first wat is to have a DNA test done on the bird. The test istelf is inexpensive and you'll get the results back in a few days.
The second is to wait and see if it lays eggs. This can take up to 2 years.

Here is something that might be of help to you:
Males are generaaly more vocal and whistling than the females.
The females usually screech more than the males do, and it's actually a lower pitched screech.

I hope this helps.

Answer 3

a male cockatiel has bright yellow on his head, while a female just has a splash of yellow on their heads, also some females has some yellow on their tale feathers on on the inside of the feathers on the wings, the male is slim while the female is fat. I have 4 cockatiels and only one is a male. I breed birds so i know alot about them.

Answer 4

light colour(dull)yellow and red cheek patches and white fleck markings in the tail feathers(a bit like the marking in a pheasents tail)indicate that this is a female bird.Males have vivid ornage/red markings on bright yellow cheek patches, any white markings on the wings and tail will be solid. grinding his beak just sugests that the bird is trying to mimic sounds, Hens will do this as well as the cockbird

Answer 5

I used to raise cockatiels and I was told by a bird vet that males will have a slightly darker beak then females.

Answer 6

I have a female Cockatiel named Spike. Yes, you may be wondering why did you name her Spike? That is a sort of boys name.
When we got her, we thought she was a boy. Until one day my dad looked in and saw an egg sitting in the cage! She has been laying ever since. She has 3 eggs now. Of course they are not going to hatch because there is no male bird.

So that is one way to tell! :)
Another way to tell is that if they sing or chirp like they are trying too. They are a male.

My bird whistles. But does not sing.

this depends on the individual bird and how much time you spend working with them. A very small percentage of females do sing and talk.


The only 100% accurate way of determining the sex of your bird is to have a DNA blood test performed.

Your avian vet may also be able to tell by examining the bird. Cockatiels have 2 bony structures at the base of their abdomens, above the vent. In the female, the structure is more flexible and further apart. A person inexperienced with breeding birds should NOT try to do this. You can seriously injure your bird. Breeders frequently use visual clues which suggest whether a cockatiel is male or female.

In some types of cockatiels, the females have duller cheek patches, all gray or all brown faces, spots under their wing feathers and barring on their tail feathers. You may need to hold one of these feather up to a bright light and use a magnifying glass to see them.

Pieds and Lutino Whitefaces "Can not be visually sexed. If a Pied cockatiel has dark tail feathers, it may be possible to tell by the barring or lack of barring on the tail feathers."

Lutinos --Lutinos are all yellow birds with orange cheek patches, and not even a speck of gray on their feathers or body. Females have bright yellow spots under their wing and very light yellow bars on their tails. Males lack these markings.

Normal Grays --Females have gray faces and crests, dull orange cheek patches and a tint of yellow around their forehead, eyes and beaks. Females also have yellow spots on the underside of their wing feathers. The bar pattern on their tails are yellow and gray. Males have bright orange cheek patches and bright yellow faces. Their crests are all yellow, tipped with gray.

Pearls --Pearls are gray, brownish or yellow, birds with speckled white markings that look like pearls. Male birds will lose their pearl markings, usually after their first molt. After the first molt males will have yellow or white faces. Female birds will have faces that are gray or brownish.

Mutations are the result of inbreeding various colored cockatiels. Mutations which produce gray/brown birds with white or yellow markings include Whiteface, Pastel Face,Yellow Cheek, Silver,Fallow Cinnamon, etc . Females have gray or brown faces, spots under their wing feathers, and a bar pattern on their tails. Females will also have lighter cheek patches. Males will have white or yellow faces and crests. Males will not have the spots and bar patterns that females have.

My bird also grinds its beak and she is a female.

Best of luck!

Answer 7

In my adventure, female Cockatiels do no longer communicate in any respect. I actually have seen a pair claims, through the years, from those who swear their speaking Tiel is female. I actually have informed them that if i will see the DNA attempt from their poultry and pay interest to it communicate, i will provide them any quantity of money they pick for it. I actually have not started to have a taker. i'd by no ability say that's no longer attainable. i will purely say that in many years round many Tiels, i have yet to work out it.

Answer 8

cheek brighter for male is true. no stripes at all under tail for male is true. males have yellow patches on their heads while females are completely grey. beak grinding has nothing to do with gender! females grind too! (they grind when the want to sleep.)

Answer 9

if your bird is really friendly and happy, it might be a boy. Ive had male and female cockatiels, and ive heard that female ones are less friendly and more moody...

Answer 10

i don't know what type of tiel your talkin about but in most of the mutations males have brighter brighter faces. the females have dull faces and have little bars under their tail. the male is often more plaful and talkative, but females can still be really loud


http://www.birdhealth.com.au/bird/cockat...