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Cockatiels are a native Australian bird, cousins to others such as the Galah and black cockatoo. Adult cockatiels with the "normal grey" coloration, a grey body with yellow head, are relatively easy to distinguish based on their plumage. Other cockatiel colorations can make this more difficult, but there are enough behavioral differences and subtle visual cues that you can often make a good guess. Try to rely on several pieces of information, rather than just one attribute, as individual cockatiels have a great deal of physical and behavioral variation. If you are looking for more accurate results, talk to a vet and ask for a DNA test. [1]
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Expert Source
Hayley Heartfield
Bird Specialist
Expert Interview. 16 August 2021.
Steps
Comparison Chart
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Wait until the bird gets its adult plumage. Male and female cockatiels look identical when young. After approximately six to nine months, the bird will molt for the first time and grow a new coat of plumage, typically more colorful and with more variation between the sexes.
- A dull coat or faded colors can be a sign of poor nutrition, although sometimes it just takes a couple molts for the full, bright adult plumage to develop.
- Do not provide a nest-box for juvenile birds, as this can stimulate over-early egg-laying or breeding, which harms the female.
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Check whether your cockatiel has standard plumage. Normal grey cockatiels without mutations have grey bodies with a yellow head and orange cheek circles. These can be identified using the steps below. If your cockatiel doesn't match these descriptions, its ancestors have been bred for unusual plumage, and you have a bigger challenge ahead of you. A few identifying characteristics for these breeds are mentioned below, but you will often have to rely on behavioral cues.Advertisement
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Examine the tail closely. [2] X Expert Source Hayley Heartfield
Bird Specialist Expert Interview. 16 August 2021. In normal grey cockatiel breeds, adult females (and all juveniles) have markings on the underside of the tail feathers. These are often horizontal stripes alternating grey/dark grey or white/grey or yellow/grey, but some females have dots or irregular patterning on a grey background. If you don't see any, hold the cockatiel up so its tail is in front of a bright light and examine closely. If you still don't see any markings, the cockatiel is probably a male.- Lutino breeds, or pale yellow and pale white birds that still have cheek circles, can be identified by the female's yellow spots under the wings and yellow marks under the tail. You may need to use a bright light in order to see these. [3] X Research source
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Compare the faces. In normal grey cockatiel breeds, the male typically has more striking facial feathers, with vivid orange spots standing out from a bright yellow face. [4] X Expert Source Hayley Heartfield
Bird Specialist Expert Interview. 16 August 2021. The female face has lighter orange spots, generally on a more muted yellow or grey backdrop. [5] X Research source- In some breeds, only the males develop a yellow face after molting, while the female keeps her juvenile grey or brownish face. [6] X Research source
- Cockatiels with the white face mutation but non-white bodies sometimes have males with no cheek spots at all, and females with faint cheek spots that match the body plumage. [7] X Research source
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Compare the body plumage. Cockatiel breeds with grey body plumage tend to include darker grey plumage on males, and lighter grey on females. This is one of the less reliable methods, but it may help confirm suspicions raised by earlier tests. Breeds with non-grey body plumage are rarely identifiable this way.
- In some breeds, the female also has faint yellow spots on the underside of the wings. [8] X Research source
- In pearled cockatiels, which have white dots on a non-white body, the male loses these "pearls" after the first molt, while the female keeps them. [9]
X
Expert Source
Hayley Heartfield
Bird Specialist Expert Interview. 16 August 2021.
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Take the cockatiel to a veterinarian. The last test that relies on physical anatomy should only be done by a veterinarian. Inexperienced people could seriously hurt the cockatiel during the attempt, and are unlikely to be able to tell the difference anyway. Ask the veterinarian to sex your cockatiel, and he will probably examine the shape of the pelvic bones, which tend to be wider in the female. Even this is not a completely reliable method, as there is a great deal of variation between individuals.
- The older a cockatiel is, the more likely this method is to work, especially if the bird belonged to a breeder as an adult and may have laid an egg in the past. [10] X Research source
- If you want to be completely certain, ask for a DNA test.
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Observe vocalizations. While not a hard and fast rule, a cockatiel that learns to talk is usually a male. [11] X Research source Whether or not they learn any phrases, males tend to be more vocal and spend more time whistling, whereas females tend to be quieter, and favor hissing and screeching more often the males.
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Give the bird a mirror. Male cockatiels are more likely to spend a lot of time in front of the mirror, strutting, calling, or investigating it. If your bird loses interest quickly, it's more likely the bird is a female.
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Watch for male courtship rituals. Male cockatiels are generally the ones actively trying to woo a partner, but they will sometimes exhibit these behaviors even without another bird around: [12] X Research source
- Tapping his beak loudly against objects to get a female's attention.
- Strutting around while whistling or beak tapping, involving hopping motions and/or quick head dips.
- Wing tips lifted away from body, forming a heart shape when viewed from behind
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Watch for female courtship rituals. Females are generally less active leading up to bonding or mating, and typically do not display these behaviors unless a male is present: [13] X Research source
- Sitting on a low perch, peeping quietly, with her tail up in the air.
- Attempting to feed the male cockatiel she has bonded with or is trying to bond with.
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Notice masturbation methods. Most experienced bird owners have noticed a bird rubbing its vent (bottom) on perches, objects, or even its owner's hand. Some birds will do so daily or even more frequently. This type of habitual masturbation is most commonly seen in males, but there are exceptions.
- Male masturbation generally involves humping the object or standing over it and rubbing its vent on it.
- Female masturbation can be similar, but could also involve backing up against an object with the tail up and body bent forward.
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Check up on egg laying. It's no surprise that only females lay eggs, but this won't help you if you discover an egg in a cage with multiple birds. If you want to be certain of the sex identification, provide each bird with a separate cage and nesting box, or point a video camera on the nesting box to record future behavior.
- Females under 18 months should not be given a nesting box, as egg-laying often causes serious health problems in young birds.
- Removing the egg will stimulate additional egg-laying.
- Keep in mind that the egg may be fertilized, although in that case pair-bonded activity between two birds should be obvious.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionMy cockatiel is having a hard time learning to sing. The veterinarian confirmed he is a male. What can I do to help him learn?Community AnswerRepeatedly whistle the tune to him; if he does manage to sing (or even to begin to), reward him with his favorite treat.
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QuestionWhat does it mean if my cockatiel squawks and chirps when a certain type of song is on?Community AnswerIt probably means it enjoys the song. But if it's an angry squawk, it probably doesn't like it.
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QuestionWhy does my bird bite me?Community AnswerYour bird might not trust you. Try to get close to your bird slowly and let them come to you. wikiHow's article on taming cockatiels might help you as well.
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Tips
- If a cockatiel is laying more than 8 eggs and more often than twice a year, she may be a chronic egg layer. This can lead to a vitamin A deficiency and calcium loss. There are injections she can get from a vet if alternative method she such as adding false eggs to a nesting box doesn't work.Thanks
- If you're purchasing a cockatiel from a pet store or breeder, they usually have them 'sexed' when they decide to sell them. Even this method isn't 100% accurate unless DNA tests were performed, but the guess of an experienced breeder is fairly reliable.Thanks
- Females are also somewhat more inclined to bite, but biting behavior depends mostly on individual temperament.Thanks
Tips from our Readers
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.
- Cockatiel breeding is very difficult and many of the chicks don't survive. Educate yourself fully before adopting an cockatiel and make sure you're prepared to take on the responsibility.
- Males tend to be more active than females, and they may be more loud or aggressive.
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Warnings
- Bonded cockatiel pairs sometimes fight, but these are rarely serious enough to cause injury.Thanks
- Breeding can cause serious health problems if the female is younger than 18 months. Younger cockatiels are also less likely to make good parents. If you have young cockatiels of opposite sexes or unidentified sexes, consider keeping them apart until adulthood, or watch them closely for signs of mating rituals.Thanks
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References
- ↑ Hayley Heartfield. Bird Specialist. Expert Interview. 16 August 2021.
- ↑ Hayley Heartfield. Bird Specialist. Expert Interview. 16 August 2021.
- ↑ http://www.cockatielcottage.net/cockatiels3.html
- ↑ Hayley Heartfield. Bird Specialist. Expert Interview. 16 August 2021.
- ↑ http://www.cockatielcottage.net/cockatiels3.html
- ↑ http://www.cockatielcottage.net/cockatiels3.html
- ↑ https://mickaboo.org/sites/default/files/files/VisuallysexingyourCockatiel.pdf
- ↑ http://www.cockatielcottage.net/cockatiels3.html
- ↑ Hayley Heartfield. Bird Specialist. Expert Interview. 16 August 2021.
About This Article
Article Summary
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To tell if your cockatiel is male or female, look at its head, since males usually have vivid orange spots and a bright yellow face, while females generally have lighter spots and grey or faded yellow faces. If you have a grey cockatiel, check its plumage, since males tend to have darker grey feathers and females tend to have lighter grey ones. You should also pay attention to how much your cockatiel talks, since males generally speak a lot, while females are often quiet and favor hissing or screeching to talking. Another way to check your cockatiel’s sex is to give it a mirror, as males generally like to admire themselves, while females lose interest quickly. For more tips, including how to check your cockatiel’s sex from its mating rituals, read on!
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Reader Success Stories
- "We have 2 cockatiels, one male and one female. The female was hand reared and flies to my wife when called for her favourite head massage. She alway chirps loudly and pucks on the male, chasing him up and down and kicking him. The male is very quiet. Which in reading the info regarding behaviour makes us feel that what our birds see are not as we think." ..." more
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"We have 2 cockatiels, one male and one female. The female was hand reared and flies to my wife when called for her favourite head massage. She alway chirps loudly and pucks on the male, chasing him up and down and kicking him. The male is very quiet. Which in reading the info regarding behaviour makes us feel that what our birds see are not as we think."
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"What really stood out to me is that I need to wait until our female is 18 months old before adding a nesting box. I'm very glad that I visited your site, because I was going to buy one this week and put it in the cage. Our cockatiels are only 3 months old."
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"I bought 2 cockatiels from 2 different breeders because I wanted babies. I was not sure I had a female. They're 6 months old, and by your article, I was able to tell. The female has the horizontal stripes on her tail. You put my mind at ease. Thank you."
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"Just bought a year old cockatiel for my husband and didn't know much, except what the breeder told us. Finding this site helped us tremendously. Very informative and easy to understand. Thank you very much, awesome website."
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"Very helpful to an inexperienced bird owner. I have had Pete for 8 years, but my husband recently bought another bird whose sex was not identified. He bought it at a pet shop and didn't know to seek out a breeder."
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