How to Tell if a Cockatiel Is Male or Female

Identifying Cockatiel Sex from Physical Attributes

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.

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.

Examine the tail closely. 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.

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. The female face has lighter orange spots, generally on a more muted yellow or grey backdrop. In some breeds, only the males develop a yellow face after molting, while the female keeps her juvenile grey or brownish face. 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.

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. 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.

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. If you want to be completely certain, ask for a DNA test.

Identifying Cockatiel Sex from Behavior

Observe vocalizations. While not a hard and fast rule, a cockatiel that learns to talk is usually a male. 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.

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.

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: 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

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: 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.

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.

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.