However, this method is not always a good way to sex your birds. Females usually have wider pelvic bones than males. It is similar to the difference seen in human males and females. The basic idea is that the pelvis of female cockatiels are more flexible and further apart, as the egg has to be able to pass through it. Other than the visual IDs that can be performed on mature birds, some breeders also check the pelvic bones as means of sexing a bird. Still, after the first molt, the birds have enough coloration to make some sexing possible. Once cockatiels have gone through their first molt (at six to nine months), the adult coloration starts to show, but even then, they don’t attain their final (adult) coloration. In fact, immature males and females look almost alike and cannot be visually sexed. Cockatiel Gender IdentificationĪs you might have noticed in our discussion so far, sexing is usually quite difficult in adult cockatiels. Apart from the slightly lighter color, they have the same skullcap, black eyes, and dark-colored legs. The double-factor dominant silvers look nearly the same as single-factors, but their feathers are a lighter shade of metallic silver.ĭouble-factor dominants are basically diluted forms of single factors. These birds also have dark pigmentation on their head, which makes it look as though they have a skullcap. Silver pieds, however, have flesh-colored feet and beaks. The feathers of the single-factor silvers are dark metallic silver, with orange check patches and black eyes, feet, and beaks. There are two types of silver cockatiels: single-factor and double-factor ones. These cockatiels have light, silvery grey plumage and red eyes. The silver mutation, or the dominant silver, is the only dominant mutation that does not recede back to the Australian gray if not bred. This is why albino cockatiels look almost pure white, besides their red eyes. The lutino gene removes the black and grey pigments, while the whiteface gene takes away the yellow and orange. The albino cockatiel is actually a hybrid of lutino and white-faced cockatiels. This confusion is especially likely with the pale lutino cockatiels due to their yellow shade being very light. Albino cockatiel – are they the same?Īs lutino cockatiels have white feathers, they’re sometimes confused for albinos and vice versa. The juveniles of this mutation have pinkish eyes at the outset, but as they age, the eyes become redder. Male fallows are slightly darker than the females, and hence the females are usually more expensive. Fallows and cinnamons are often very difficult to distinguish from each other. Their color is light silver, which can sometimes be confused with the brownish-grey of cinnamons. Fallow Cockatielsįallows are the latest mutation in cockatiels and have only been around since the 70s. You may also come across the grey pearl cockatiel, which is a mix of dark and bright colors.įrom a sexing perspective, female pearlies retain their coloration into adulthood, while males lose their pearlings after their first molt (turning into a pied cockatiel, rather than a pearly pied). Pearling in whiteface cockatiels is white, with large and consistent lacings all over. Yellow pearls are sometimes also called golden pearls, and white pearlies are known as silver pearls. Pearlies are available in many colors, such as yellow, white, and even grey. As mentioned earlier, this mutation is also commonly referred to as “lacewings.” The term “pearly” refers to lacings or pearl spots of yellow or white on the backs, nape, and wings of these birds. Just like other pieds, these birds have varying intensities of color and placement of markings over their bodies. Their plumage becomes a combination of cinnamon brown and yellow due to the colors present in their gene pool. Cinnamon PiedsĬinnamon pieds, as the name suggests, are from the breeding of a pied and a cinnamon cockatiel. Their faces do not turn yellow, and they have either white or yellow barring on the underside of their tails. The male cinnamon cockatiel develops a bright yellow face (also known as the mask) and bright orange cheek patches after his first molt.įemale cinnamon cockatiels retain their dull orange cheek patches. The cinnamon cockatiel mutation gets its name from the cinnamon color, which is basically a brownish-grey color. This mutation is similar to normal grey, with grey areas replaced by tan to cinnamon brown color. Sex-Linked Yellow Cheeks (SLYC) have a yellow cheek patch due to their specific mutation, which inhibits psittacofulvin. Moreover, their facial feathers are denser. The cheek patches are more vibrant in the males as compared to the females. The males of the yellow cheek mutation have yellow faces with golden cheek patches.
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