How Do You Visually Sex A Cockatiel?
One of the things people consider when buying a cockatiel is the sex. Some people prefer male birds while others want a female bird. Telling them apart can be difficult, but it can usually be done if you know what to look for. Know how old the bird is. All cockatiels will have female coloring until their first molt. That means if the birds is under 6 months old, you will not be able to visually determine if it is a boy or a girl. You can usually tell after the first molt, but it may take another molt or two before the bird’s true coloring comes through. Look at the face. Most male cockatiels have a bright yellow face and bright orange cheeks. Female cockatiels usually have a grey or white face and duller orange patches. Males also tend to have a taller crest (spikey feathers on their head) while female’s have a shorter crest. Some mutations, like Pied cockatiels, will throw a wrench into this analysis because they do not always have the same coloring scheme as the regular grey cockatie
