Is my cockatiel a boy or girl? Do female cockatiels sing often?

Hi, Chicko may be a male, but since he’s so young, his light orange cheek teaches may need time to brighten as he reached sexual maturity. However, the solid vs batted tail feathers you refer to is also an accurate way to tell the difference. However, I would need to see the underside of the tail feathers (not the top). If the the underside is speckled or barred, then Chicko would be female, if feathers are solid then should be male. The cheek patches should brighten in time with maturity. I hope this helps!

If your are unsure of your bird's genders you can have them tested at your local vet (blood test) to determine if you have a male and female or two males/females. Same-sex birds can attempt to mate with each other, especially if it is mating season for them. If one of the birds seems stressed out by this, then separating the two for a period of time is best to avoid increasing stress or causing injury to one of the birds. If you are interested in breeding your birds and have a male and female, adding in more protein and calcium to their diet, as well as increasing the amount of daylight they get may help encourage egg laying and raising a clutch.

Thanks for reaching out about Tweety and including a photo. You are correct that the males tend to have brighter yellow cheek patches. If a male, this could be masturbation, as they will often rub their cloaca (vent) on objects. If a female, could be getting ready to lay an egg. Monitor for appetite and comfort. Good luck.

There are ways to determine a cockatiel's gender. The link below outlines several. https://www.cockatiel.com/malefemale.html The definitive method to determine gender is to have them sexed via DNA testing. This is done using blood or feather samples. Male cockatiels do not lay eggs. Female cockatiels may lay eggs even in the absence of a male. If you have 2 females, the eggs will be infertile and will not hatch. Fertilized eggs hatch after about 3 weeks of incubation. She may lay one egg every 24-48 hours until she has a clutch of up to 8 eggs. Do not remove any of the eggs. This will cause her to continue laying which can be dangerous. If you have a confirmed pair, I would suggest getting in touch with an experienced avian veterinarian or breeder to guide you if you plan on keeping the chicks.

You cannot differentiate between male and female cocktail externally, a blood test is needed for that. you cannot keep budgies with cocktails together, you run a very high risk that the cocktails will attack and seriously injure the budgies,

Thanks for reaching out. Love birds are not sexually dimorphic (can't determine sex by appearances). Palpation of the ventral pubis can sometimes give a clue as sex. Blood sexing is available through most veterinarians who see birds. Sexually mature females during breeding mode, will often tear up paper and place in their wings, a quirky female lovebird thing. Good luck.

If the cage is large enough for two birds and they are introduced gradually, another female cockatiel could be added. Adding a male will likely lead to mating and egg laying. Also, the possibility exists that the birds will bond with one another and interact less with you.