How to Determine Gender of Parakeets

Determining the gender of a young parakeet can be very difficult. However, once the parakeet has reached sexual maturity (six months to a year), there are a few ways to determine parakeet gender fairly accurately.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Parakeet
• Veterinarian

1. Look at your parakeet's cere (the colored band at the top of the parakeet's beak where the nostrils are). The ceres of sexually mature males are usually blue or purple, while female ceres are typically a pinkish-tan or brown.

2. Observe your parakeet's behavior. Females tend to be more aggressive, and typically gnaw and try to nest. Males will sing and learn to whistle and talk more readily. Often, males are more physically active than females as well.

3. Check your parakeet's cage regularly for eggs once the bird has reached maturity, especially if it also has a pink-to-brown colored cere. Eggs obviously confirm that you have a female.

4. Contact your veterinarian and ask about DNA testing if you want to be positive about the gender of your parakeet.

Tips & Warnings

• All parakeets have light tan or pinkish ceres when young. Do not rely on this method for determining gender until the parakeet is at least one year old.
• Different breeds of parakeets may have slight variations in cere color. Some females may have white ceres. Some males may have very pale pinkish-purple ceres.
• Unless you want baby parakeets, keep your birds separated or pair only same-gender birds.

Resources

• Get general parakeet care info