How To Identify Male And Female Parrots? Follow This!

How to identify male and female parrots? Identifying male and female parrots is often facile yet confusing because a lot of times both the sex look very similar and end up in a puzzle, whereas in some other cases, the differences are more obvious.

So far, there are numerous ways to differentiate between male and female parrots among which the first is the consultation of an expert, who is proficient enough to distinguish between them both.

Difference Between Male & Female Parrots With Features!

The task is normally difficult as the parrots do not show any sexual dimorphism. Hence, visual differentiation is said to be demanding and hard. Therefore, a DNA test can opt, but this type of practice is somewhat expensive.

At the same time, there are people who claim that a parrot can be identified as male or female from its character. Since the character can be variable in one-to-one, relying on such baseless data is not often recommended.

How To Differentiate Parrot Species?

Currently, there are a number of parrot species found and, in most cases, they are similar both behaviorally and visually. Yet differentiating them is said to be easy while considering certain peripheral factors like shape, color, beak, size, etc., as they show extreme differences in appearance mostly. Still, it is important to remember that these are general traits and cannot be relied upon completely and these do not lead to any scientific determination as well. 

Parrots with 12-14 inches of height often occur in the species of African Grey. The parrots in this specific species show differences in the color of their feathers. Darker grey in males and lighter grey in females.

One of the other species is Ringneck Parrots, as their name itself suggests, their males have developed a bright-colored ring around their neck, whereas the females only possess a faint ring. These can be spotted only if the bird is sexually mature. Therefore, Ringneck Parrots are always characterized as sexually dimorphic.

If the under-tail feathers are found to be pure yellow or green, then it is mostly supposed to be from the species of Senegal Parrots. The parrots that are typically green with splashes of red are Eclectus Parrots. Their males have a multi-colored beak and an entirely black beak for the females.

Quaker Parrots are often difficult to identify for their depiction is only possible by observing their tails.  A male parrot may move his tail hastily from side to side during a high hormonal period and females tend to move them up and down. The gender of a Quaker Parrot is only definitely said if the bird lays an egg. Their females only lay eggs once they are 10 years old. It is often recommended to ask for the information of your parrot regarding their sex and species, beforehand making the purchase or adoption.

Gender Identification Made Easy: Techniques For Determining The Sex Of Your Parrot

We cannot identify the sex of the parrot at first glance. Parrot’s reproductive organ is internal, so it can be difficult to examine the morphology and identify gender. Knowing the sex of the parrot is beneficial to grooming them. Because male and female parrots show different behavior and possess distinct requirements. Identification marks are not the same for every species of parrot. We cannot spot the gender only by looking at the physical appearances or behavior changes. Some of the methods to identify the gender of the parrots are:

❌Physical differences

The most common way to identify the sex of the parrot is through its physical appearance. But it can be a different task because each species has a unique physique. We can spot the difference between males and females by considering the color of feathers, beaks, cere, and physical appearance. For example, the Cere of the male budgies is generally deep blue, whereas the females have pale blue to brown. The cockatoos with red iris are females and the males with brown color. Some male species have bright feathers, while the females are lighter than them. All these appearances may vary from species to species according to their physical specifications.

❌Behavioral differences

When we consider the behavioral changes of male and female parrots, females are more affectionate than males. They are quieter and cuddly, but in their maturing age, they show behavioral changes due to hormonal changes. In contrast, males are active and like to interact with others. Males can become more aggressive but don’t bite harder than females. 

In the case of vocalization, male cockatiels and budgies have a larger vocabulary than females. You can identify the males by watching how intensely they talk and by their songs. However, it cannot be similar to all parrots. Female Amazons, macaws, and African Grays can speak and mimic words like males. 

❌Age and maturity

At the birth of parrots, we cannot identify their gender. We have to wait at least 32-34 months to determine the sexes. After getting to a certain age, they start showing masculine characteristics, behavior changes, and many more. So, we can spot the difference between males and females at that stage. A female parrot takes 3 to 10 years to lay eggs. So it can be a less ideal option to identify the gender, especially if your parrot is single. Matured males have bright feathers, dark beaks, vocalization ability, and interactivity than female parrots.

❌DNA testing

DNA blood sexing is proven to be a safe and effective technique for sexing birds.  The blood feathers needed to be submitted to determine male and female. The pulp of the feathered is analyzed for the DNA. This method truly involves the genetic identification of the species and determining the gender using technology. DNA testing is a reliable method of gender identification practiced by every professional vet. Because unlike physical appearances, age, maturity, and behavioral changes, this method has scientific evidence and is more trustable. 

❌Surgical testing for gender identification

Apart from all these methods, there are some other techniques to identify gender scientifically.  It includes surgical sexing and endoscopy. These methods allow us to visualize the reproductive organs of parrots. This method is done by a surgeon who determines the sex of the parrot. Surgical sexing is helpful to evaluate the health of the major organs. 

How To Identify Males And Females In Various Parrot Species?

🟢Parakeets

Parakeets are parrot species that show sexual dimorphism on its nose. Generally, for parrots, a nose is a fleshy area generated out of its beak. Often the nose of males is dark blue, whereas, in females, they are light blue in color and gradually change to brown when exposed to heat. In the Splendid Parakeet, females lack the scarlet stripes that males show on their chests.

🟢Cockatiels

Cockatiels, also known as weird birds, show sexual dimorphism when they become adults, typically after 6-9 months. The male loses the white or yellow spots underneath his wings. The grey feathers on the crest change their color to bright yellow, whereas the orange patch becomes brighter too. In females, the crest mostly remains grey with an orange patch on the cheeks. Also, male Cockatiels have yellow heads, and females have grey heads.

🟢Conure

Conure is the friendliest among the other species of parrots. They often attract people with their cheerfulness. Both their appearance and personality are said to be equally colorful. They are easygoing and the most popular pet. Since the color is identical for both the male and female, you cannot affirmatively decide on the gender of the Conure by just looking at it. A definite way is to conduct a DNA test, and if you possess enough patience, then wait until your bird lays an egg to make sure it is female.

🟢Quaker Parrots

Similarly, Quaker Parrots too do not show any visual differences, making it hard for us to distinguish their gender. DNA testing is often recommended for them as well. Make sure to seek the help of an expert. Some Hobbyists claim that you can differentiate between a male and a female parrot by looking at its hip size, as the hip would be larger in size for females in order to support them in the accommodation of eggs, and for males, it is more narrow, due to the logical reasoning. This is an indefinite opinion of a few, hence, not an accurate method for sexing your parrot.

🟢Macaws

Macaws do not show any sexual dimorphism resulting in an impossibility of identifying the sex by external examination. You can always opt for DNA testing, which only requires a drop of blood, a few feathers plucked from your bird, or even the shell of the egg it hatched from. You are also free to go for surgical sexing or chromosomal testing.

🟢Senegal Parrots

It is fairly accurate to determine the sex of a Senegal Parrot by its peripheral features alone. A female is distinguished with a rounded head and a narrower beak, at the same time a male’s head is larger and broader. Female Senegal shows a mixture of green and yellow in their tail coverts. The green could have been completely absent if it was for a male.

Now Let Us Conclude

There are wide varieties of parrot species living in this vast world. Among them, identifying your pet’s species can be done easily or not, depending on its peripheral appearance. The same goes for the identification of gender as well.

There are several methods to identify the gender of the parrots, but it is important to notice that a physical or behavioral determination would not be 100% accurate. It is always better to consult a vet to provide scientifically backed evidence about the gender of the parrot.

Surgical and DNA testing are considered the most safest and accurate identification methods. If you know the gender of your bird, it can be helpful to treat them because males and females demand distinct requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions By Pet Owners