How to Tell If a Budgie Is Male or Female

Whether you just got a budgie (also known as the common parakeet) or you want to breed your birds, you probably want to know their sex. Luckily, looking at the color of your budgie’s cere, or the nostrils above their beak, can tell you if they’re male or female. In this article, we spoke with bird specialist Hayley Heartfield and ornithologist Dr. Roger J. Lederer to learn how to determine an adult, baby, and albino or lutino parakeet’s sex. Read on to learn more!

How to Determine Budgie Gender

Check the cere color on your budgie, which is right above their beak. Adult males have royal blue ceres while adult females have white, tan, or brown and crusty ceres. Between 3 weeks and 4 months, young male budgies have pink ceres while young females have white, pale blue, and pink ceres.

Section 1 of 5:

Checking the Cere on an Adult Budgie

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The cere is a fleshy covering that is located directly above the budgie’s beak. ^{[1]
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Research source} The budgie's nostrils are found on the cere (they look like 2 deep holes) making the cere easy to find. While most budgies’ beaks are a yellowish color, Heartfield says the cere is a certain color depending on the bird's sex. ^{[2]
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Expert Source

Hayley Heartfield
Bird Specialist

Expert Interview. 16 August 2021.}
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Male budgie: Look for a royal blue cere. Heartfield says most male budgies in the breeding mood have a bright or royal blue cere. ^{[3]
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Expert Source

Hayley Heartfield
Bird Specialist

Expert Interview. 16 August 2021.} Sometimes, the vibrant color can appear purple-blue. ^{[4]
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Research source} This color will lighten when the budgie is not in the breeding mood. ^{[5]
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- If you've identified your budgie as male and notice his cere turn brown, he may have a medical condition. ^{[6]
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- According to Heartfield, other signs that your budgie might be sick is if their poop changes “in consistency or color,” you see “discharge around the nose and eyes,” or you notice “lethargic behavior.” If you suspect your bird is sick, take them to your veterinarian. ^{[7]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Hayley Heartfield
  Bird Specialist
  
  Expert Interview. 23 June 2021.}
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Female budgie: Look for a white, tan, or brown cere. Heartfield asserts that a female adult budgie's cere is usually white, pale blue, or light pink. ^{[8]
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Expert Source

Hayley Heartfield
Bird Specialist

Expert Interview. 16 August 2021.} As she becomes more fertile and ready to produce eggs, the cere will become a darker tan or brownish color. ^{[9]
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- If the budgie is fertile and ready to breed , you may also notice the cere thicken and become crusty. ^{[10]
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  Research source} The cere build up can be about a centimeter thick.
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Understand the challenges of using color to identify the sex. In addition to changes in color based on breeding mood, a budgie's cere may change for a number of other reasons. Some budgies have genetic mutations that show color differently in males and females. Additionally, female budgies may have hormonal imbalances that cause them to display a light blue cere for a long time, or their environment may not be suitable for breeding. ^{[11]
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- For example, recessive pieds and INO (albino, lutino, and yellow face albino) variety males will have a pink cere as well as a few other mutations. Typically, male albino budgies will have a pink cere color. We explain how to sex different budgie varieties in the section below.
- Your budgie’s health can also affect their cere color. For instance, a male that’s sick might have a brown cere or it may appear dull. A sick female’s cere might appear very bright white.

Section 2 of 5:

Checking the Cere on a Baby Budgie

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Look for a pink cere on males and a blue cere on females. Heartfield says, “It can be hard to tell gender in the young parakeets who have not hit sexual maturity yet, as the color hasn't always developed.” However, if your budgie is less than 4 months old, they will have immature cere colors respective to their sex. ^{[12]
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Expert Source

Hayley Heartfield
Bird Specialist

Expert Interview. 16 August 2021.} The cere will be pink or purple on a male and a white, pale blue, and pink mix on a female. ^{[13]
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Research source}
- Female budgies often have white or pink around their nostrils.
- You typically see cere differences by the time your budgie is 3 weeks old.
- If your budgie is immature but older than 4 months old, the cere on males will slowly turn deep blue and females will stay white or pale blue before turning tan.
- If your budgie hasn't had its first molt, has dark button eyes, and has bars coming from its head to cere, then it's less than 4 months old. ^{[14]
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- According to Dr. Lederer, the best way to age a budgie is to look at their head and eyes: ^{[15]
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  Expert Source
  
  Roger J. Lederer, PhD
  Ornithologist
  
  Expert Interview. 31 March 2021.}
  - Budgies less than 3 to 4 months old “have a completely stripey head.” As they get older, Dr. Lederer says “the stripes on [their] face and forehead are replaced with plain patches of color.”
  - In budgies under 4 months old, “the entire eye will be black.” Between 4 and 8 or 9 months, “the iris will be a little paler.” Dr. Lederer says “very pale irises” mean a bird is “at least 8 months” old.

Section 3 of 5:

Identifying the Sex of Albino and Lutino Budgies

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Albino adults: Males have a pink cere and females have a brown cere. Immature albino budgies have the same colored cere regardless if they’re male or female, so wait to identify their sex once they’re 4 months or older. Male albinos have a solid pink cere while females have tan or brown cere. ^{[16]
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- The female’s cere typically also looks crusty and thick.
- Albino budgies have fully white feathers—they don’t have any markings or other colored feathers.
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Lutino adults: Males have a pink cere and females have a brown cere. Lutino budgies follow a similar pattern as albino budgies. Adult males have a solid pink cere while females develop a brown, crusty cere. ^{[17]
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- Like albino budgies, immature males and females have similarly colored ceres. So, it’s best to identify their sex once they’re older than 4 months.
- Lutino budgies have fully yellow feathers without any other markings or colors.

Section 4 of 5:

Other Ways to Identify a Budgie’s Sex

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Listen to your budgie. Males are known for being much noisier than female budgies. They will chirp or sing and the songs can be quite long. While female budgies make sounds too, they usually sound angry and less musical. However, females can be just as cheerful just as males may be grouchy. ^{[18]
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- Keep in mind that behavior should not be solely taken into consideration when determining sex. Both sexes can display the same behavior.
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Watch your budgie's behavior. Male budgies frequently bob their heads up and down or tap their beaks against their cage. They'll appear playful and outgoing. Female budgies may seem more aggressive if they're in the mood to breed, subdued, or if they're fertile. ^{[19]
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- You may notice a male budgie tap against a female and regurgitate food to her. Don't worry. This is normal bonding behavior and will occur between same-sex pairs, too.
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Ask your breeder or get a DNA test . When you buy your budgie from the breeder or dealer, ask about the budgie's sex. Just be aware that not all breeders are informed, especially if they’re colony breeding. You can also purchase inexpensive DNA kits that reveal the budgie's sex.
- Heartfield agrees that “the best way to tell the sex of most parrots,” like budgies, “is to do a DNA sexing through a company that provides the service.” ^{[20]
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  Expert Source
  
  Hayley Heartfield
  Bird Specialist
  
  Expert Interview. 23 June 2021.}
- Don't forget that you can ask your veterinarian to determine the sex of the budgie. This will be easier if the vet is familiar with treating birds.

Section 5 of 5:

Frequently Asked Questions

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Can a female budgie have a blue cere? Adult female budgies can have a very light blue or a bluish-white cere when they’re not in the breeding mood. However, their cere is never a deep, royal blue like males. Young, immature female budgies often have ceres that are mixed with white, pale blue, and pink.
- When female budgies are ready to breed, their cere turns tan or brown and grows thick and crusty.
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At what age does a budgie’s cere change color? A budgie’s cere typically starts to change color when they’re around 3 weeks old. At this point, you can start to see differences in color between males and females. Males typically have pink or lilac ceres while females have white, pale blue, and pink ceres.
- As the budgies grow older, their mature cere color starts to develop. This usually happens around the 4-month mark. The male’s cere starts to darken to a deep blue while the female’s cere either lightens to a white/tan color or darkens to a brown color.

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Question

How do you know if a female is pregnant?

Pippa Elliott, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.

Pippa Elliott, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Expert Answer

Female birds lay eggs, but it can be difficult to know that she is carrying eggs. Often the first an owner knows is that there is an egg laying at the bottom of the cage. This can happen even if the female does not have a mate - although in this case the egg won't be fertile.

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What causes a budgie to change colors?

Pippa Elliott, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.

Pippa Elliott, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Expert Answer

Ceres change color because of interest in mating, aging, or as a result of ill health. If the bird is otherwise bright and well, and the color changes happen rapidly, it could be that he or she is feeling amorous at times.

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Some budgies can be sexed depending on if a sex-linked mutation is present and you are aware of the parent's mutations.

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If the budgie is tame, you should not have to grab the budgie. Simply let it sit on your finger or on a perch and examine the cere carefully.

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Even if you do not wish to breed your budgies, it can be handy to know what their sexes are. Some illnesses and diseases are specific to gender. Additionally, having the same sexes can help if you wish to prevent breeding completely.

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The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Listen to the budgie — males tend to chatter and sing more, while females often sound angrier. But behavior isn't definitive.
Consider age — young budgies under 4 months have immature cere colors that can be misleading.
Watch behavior — males frequently bob heads and tap beaks, females can seem more aggressive.
Check the cere color: blue cere usually means male, white/tan cere usually means female.
Ask the breeder or vet if you're still unsure of gender based on the cere and behaviors.
DNA sexing kits are available if you want definitive proof of your budgie's gender.

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Expert Source

Hayley Heartfield
Bird Specialist

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Roger J. Lederer, PhD
Ornithologist

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How to Tell If a Budgie Is Male or Female

How to Determine Budgie Gender

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Checking the Cere on an Adult Budgie

Checking the Cere on a Baby Budgie

Identifying the Sex of Albino and Lutino Budgies

Other Ways to Identify a Budgie’s Sex

Frequently Asked Questions

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