How do you tell if a cockatiel is a girl or a boy?

Answer 1

It is my understanding that they have to do a blood test.

Answer 2

Sexing cockatiels is pretty easy if you got an older, wild colored bird. Males have a bright yellow head with a solid colored tail. Females are duller with a grayer face and barring under their tail. Things get complicated when you get into Lutinos, pied and the numerous other colors (aka 'mutations').

With most colors, the above visual cues work though sometimes the sexes will have yellow heads. Lutino hens will have barred tails and males will have bright yellow ones. White faced birds lack the cheek patches and yellow faces but males will have a solid white face and the females still have barring under their tails and grey face.

Pearl (spotted) birds are almost always female if they're nine months or older. Males will lose these markings when they enter their first moult, reverting to a solid colored bird with a yellow head and dark tail. Some breeders are trying to develop a strain of pearl cockatiels where both sexes keep their markings for their entire life span. However this strain is still very rare.

Pieds, albinos and some of the other mutations are almost impossible to sex visually. In these cases it's best to DNA sex them. I find the least useful method of sexing is to look for cheek patch coloring as many males, especially those who have white face genes, can have very very pale cheeks. Also, some colors, such as cinnamon and Lutino, have females with bright yellow heads. However a cheaper method of sexing is to listen for the males to sing.

Cockatiel males start emitting a husky warble when they're six months old. Sometimes their song will go on for a good 1/2 hour and they'll stretch their necks out as they do it. They'll also stretch their wings out slightly, which makes the outline of their back look heart shaped. Or you can wait for the girls to lay an egg ^.^

Answer 3

There are several different ways, some depending on what mutations they are! But, the most certain way is by DNA testing of feathers or toe nails!

Some mutations, you can tell by wing spots on babies, some by the barring on the tail feathers of adults, some by mutation markings such as facial features...Normal Greys, male has yellow face with orange cheek patches by 6 months old, female keeps the solid grey with orange cheek patches. There are several mutations that have mutation differences with gender.

TOO many mutations to describe ALL methods! DNA is BEST!

The Fid Lady

Answer 4

The males usually have a very bright orange spot on both cheeks. Females have the spots too, but pale orange. Most of the time the males are more vocal than the females.

Answer 5

I just went thru the same question and answer routine.They say if the bird has brighter spots then it is male and if it has stripes on its tail is prob. female.With my experience,none of that helped me.My dad has a female who is brighter then mine,so i thought female..i was wrong.The best thing to do is blood testing or you just gotta wait to see if it has strong vocals.MINE DOES

Answer 6

The males have rouge on their cheeks - looks like blush - femals have none