Is my parrot Male or Female?

Whether it is about naming your parrot, or thinking about ringing a new feathered friend or you are contemplating the notion to breed your parrot; you need to know if your parrot is a female or a male. 

Since most of the parrot reeds are monomorphic i.e. there are no different physical characteristics of male and female birds, also they do not have external reproductive organs; hence determining the gender of the parrots is indeed a difficult task. Laboratory and surgical screening are ways to guess the sex of your parrot indeed.

Let us talk about several ways of determining the sex of the parrots:

1. Gender and origin certification: In case you have bought the parrot from a pet shop or a reliable breeder then you will receive a document stating the gender of the bird. Most of the breeders have the DNA test performed on the birds before selling them. These reports are given along with the parrots to the owners. 

On the other hand if you have got the parrots from a rescue company then such document will not be there. You will have to ask a veterinarian to facilitate you in solving the mystery.  

2. Visual and vent sexing: During vent sexing, the bird may gently be palpated along its pelvic bones that are there just behind the vent. If the dip is in the center then it is likely to be a female. 

However, the visual gender determination is possible only in a handful of the breeds of parrots. This includes the Eclectus parrot which can be stored in cages like parrotlet best cages These are some of the cages that differ in coloration on the feathers. However these methods are not reliable. Other procedures like surgical sexing and blood sexing should be done. 

3. Genetic sexing: Brining your feathered friend to an avian veterinarian is a good idea for the initial health examination. He is the one specializing in birds and hence can prove to be a valuable resource in taking care of your pet bird. 

4. Surgical sexing: This method enables the visualization of the reproductive organs of the birds. The birds usually undergo general anesthesia. Small incision is made on abdomen, and a tube is inserted. Fiber optic is inserted and enables the surgeon to see the gonads of the bird. Male parrots have a couple of internal testicles while the female parrot has an ovary on the left side.

5. Look for the eggs: Looking for the eggs is the simplest way of knowing the gender of the parrot. If there are eggs that mean it is a female and vice versa.

6. Medical examination of the pelvic bone: Pelvic bone of the female birds is usually wider than the male parrots. However this is not appropriate for the young birds as female do not move until and unless they are ready to lay the eggs. 

7. It is usually said that in some breeds male parrot talks more as compared to the female member and vice versa. You should read for your breed and can observe to find out the gender of your bird.  

8. Similarly it is said that some breeds have different feather colors in males and females. For instance, if we talk about the ringneck breed then the male member will have brightly colored ring around the neck while the female parrot will have faint ring. 

9. Chromosomal or hormonal sexing is yet another way of finding the gender of the parrot. There will not be any risk involved in this kind of test. 

10. There are certain breeds that can be identified visually, for instance Senegal parrots. The under tail feathers of the male parrot will always be pure yellow while the female one will have a combination of green and yellow. So you need to read about breed of our parrot. However this is not 100% reliable method of doing that.