Methods To Differentiate If Your Pet Bird Is A Male Or Female

Birds are one of the most common pets people like to keep in their homes. They are beautiful, colorful, and easy to train. You need to know your birdie’s gender to make sure that you are providing the right care for them. Knowing your bird’s gender can help you figure out their health and breeding problems. Identifying the sex of a bird is difficult because the male and female birds mostly look similar to the human eye but clearly, that is not the case. The male and female birds just like any other beings are very different in behavior, size (in some cases), and even in color. For, instance you cannot tell the sex of pigeons or starlings as they both look similar. So, how can you tell the difference? In this blog, we are going to dig deeper into how to know if your bird is a male or female

• The Visual Difference

A bird’s gender can be (sometimes) visually determined. For example; in some cases, female birds have a dull coat color and are also smaller. Male birds usually have brighter colors .. The genetic reason behind it is that male birds are born attractive so that they can attract their female mates. Similarly, the duller color of female birds enables them to blend in with their surroundings either while building a nest or while protecting their young ones. The differences between male and female birds (in appearance) are also evident during the breeding season.

• Behavioral Difference

Many birds don’t show easily visible differences between males and females. However, careful observation of any bird will help you understand its gender. Male birds are talented singers. They use their singing ability to attract mates, announce their presence and mark their territory. Also, male birds are the ones to usually migrate early so they can find their territory before any potential threat. Female birds only (mostly) sing when accompanied by their mate or male bird. Other than that, they are usually silent, especially if they are nesting.

Furthermore, a bird’s gender can be easily recognized during mating season. Male birds tend to make more elaborative dance moves or postures to entice female birds. Similarly, one can easily differentiate between a male and a female bird while they are courting. We can usually find male birds offering food to their mates similar to how female birds tend to their babies.

Another easy way to identify a bird’s gender is to check whether or not they are aggressive. Male birds are aggressive than females. They also tend to chase away intruders and actively engage in fights against other birds. Male birds sometimes fight non-bird predators as well.

• The Easy Way Out – DNA Sexing

Identification of a bird’s gender by observing needs much expertise and consumes more time. How else can we do it? One can go to a vet or any bird DNA testing laboratory and check their DNA using PCR- based tests. DNA sexing is a non-surgical test performed by laboratories to determine whether a bird is a male or a female. This test studies and identifies a bird’s gender by its chromosome. Similar to humans, the ZW chromosome represents female birds and the ZZ chromosome represents the male bird. The test is very easy and requires either feathers or two drop blood of the birds. The PCR-based tests to reveal the gender of the bird can be performed on any bird irrespective of their age. The results of DNA sexing can be accomplished in as quickly as 48 hours. This makes DNA sexing the easy way out to know your birdie’s gender.

• Take Home Note

Positively identifying the bird species is the primary step to identifying its gender. Some birds are dimorphic and, in such cases, identifying the gender of a bird is very easy. On the contrary, if the birds look alike (monomorphic), you will have to study and observe the bird’s behavior to know its gender. Here is a tip for you, before you decide to keep or buy a bird as a pet, it is important to understand everything about the species of bird you are willing to pet. This will enable you to identify which gender would you want to pet. Eventually, with years of pet experience, you will be able to identify male and female birds.

We hope you enjoyed the blog on how to know if your bird is a male or female. Looking for the right diagnostic center for DNA sexing for your birdie? Redbelly Diagnostics Lab offers DNA sexing results as quickly as 48 hours. Have a doubt regarding your birdie’s health and nutrition? Do not hesitate to reach us. Our team would love to get in touch with you and provide the best service for you and your feather friend. Our team at Redbelly never fails to surprise you with interesting information about birds. Thank you for reading!