How to Distinguish the Sex of a Parrot

Distinguishing the sex of birds is difficult, and parrots are no exception. Many parrot breeds have different physical characteristics between males and females. The only way to determine the sex of a parrot for sure is to wait and see if it lays eggs. But with some parrots, there are certain signs that you can rely on to distinguish the sex.

Table of Contents

Sex discrimination of parrots

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Find eggs. The surest way to determine the sex of a parrot is to wait and see if it lays eggs. Only female parrots lay eggs. In the wild, female parrots lay eggs only after mating with male parrots. However, female parrots in captivity may or may not lay eggs. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Parrots will not lay eggs until they reach reproductive age. The reproductive age of many birds is approximately 3 years old.
Egg production can negatively impact bird health. If you have only one parrot and it lays eggs, consult your veterinarian.

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DNA testing. Many people do not want to wait years to know the sex of the parrot. For example, if you are a parrot breeder, you will want to know if your two parrots are a pair. You can check the sex of your parrot with a DNA test. The results are usually quite accurate but not absolute. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Ask your veterinarian if they offer DNA testing.
There are a number of laboratories that accept this service. You will need to follow specific instructions on how to sample your parrot’s feathers or toenails.

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Sexing parrots by surgical method. Only an experienced veterinarian can do this. If you are not a veterinary professional, you can hardly find and identify the bird’s genitals. Ask your veterinarian if they can sex the bird with surgery, or refer another doctor who offers this service.

This method has not been used much since the advent of DNA testing.
Surgical sex discrimination is often performed on adult parrots. This method may adversely affect the reproductive system of young birds.

Sexing specific parrot breeds

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Monk Parakeet sex discrimination. When you buy or adopt a parrot, be sure to ask about the breed. Different parrot breeds will have different looks and behaviors. Some parrot breeds can tell the sexes fairly easily. With the Priest parrot, the only sure way to know the sex is to wait for the parrot to give birth.

Some female monk parrots do not lay eggs until they are over 10 years old. You must be very patient to determine the sex of the monk parrot.
You can surmise based on a number of signs about the behavior of the Monk parrot. For example, male parrots often wag their tails back and forth at a rapid rate during periods of high sex hormones. Female parrots tend to move their tails up and down.

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Learn the differences in the African Gray parrot. The African Gray Parrot has many physical features that help you distinguish a male from a female. However, you should keep in mind that these are general characteristics and not a scientific way of knowing. The best way to sex the African Gray Parrot is to wait for egg laying or a DNA test.

Male African Gray Parrots have a larger body size. They are usually about 30-35 cm long, while the female is usually shorter than 30 cm.
Male African Gray Parrots have white patches around their pointed eyes, while females have round white patches.
The female African Gray Parrot has pale gray feathers below the body. In males, these feathers are darker gray.

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Sexing Ringneck Parrots. Ringneck parrots are different from other parrot breeds because they have different sex characteristics. This means you can tell the sex of this parrot by eye. Male Ringneck Parrots have a rather bold black ring around their neck. The female has a very pale collar. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

The collar will not appear until the bird is old enough to breed. This happens when the bird is about 3 years old.
Female Ringneck parrots usually have rounder faces than male parrots.

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Observe the appearance of the Senegal parrot. There is a fairly accurate way to sex Senegal parrots. The feathers under the tail of male Senegal parrots are always pure yellow. It is very rare to see male Senegal parrots with green patches on these feathers.

The feathers under the tail of the female Senegal parrot have a combination of yellow and green.
This method is not 100% accurate.

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Eclectus parrot sex discrimination. You can distinguish the sex of Eclectus parrots in a very simple way. The entire body of an Eclectus cockatoo is almost blue with bright red markings on the wings and sides of the body. Female Eclectus parrots are mainly red, mixed with blue or purple.

Males have multicolored beaks, while females always have completely black beaks.

How to take care of parrots

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Let the parrot play outside the cage. If you are considering adopting or buying a parrot, you must consider all aspects of owning it. For example, to have a happy life, parrots need to be released from the cage for a while each day. You must make sure your living space is suitable for parrots to fly. ^{[4] X Trusted Source The Humane Society of the United States Go to source}

If you have an empty room in your home, use it as a play area for your parrots. It would love to have its own space to fly.
Parrots love to gnaw, so be sure to cover up electrical cords, candles, scented wax or anything else that could harm your parrot.

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Interact with parrots. Parrots are intelligent and can make friends with humans. Parrots are not only kept for ornamental purposes. Parrots have personalities, know how to like and hate. You should take the time to learn about your parrot. ^{[5] X Trusted Source The Humane Society of the United States Go to Source}

Parrots love to interact, so make time to play with them every day. Talk to your parrot or sing to it.
Consider keeping two parrots so they have companionship.

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Buy a large cage. If your parrot mainly lives in cages, you should buy him a large and comfortable cage. Make sure the cage is large enough to accommodate multiple standing plants and hang multiple toys. ^{[6] X Research Source}

Mount standing plants at different heights to give birds plenty of places to play and rest.

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Provide plenty of clean water and food. Like humans, parrots need a variety of foods, including grains and vegetables. You can use commercial food as the main course of your parrot’s diet. Then you will provide more “people” foods. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Feed your parrot a variety of vegetables like zucchini, peas, and green beans. Cut the vegetables into small pieces to fit the parrot’s mouth.
Parrots can eat most human breakfast cereals. You can feed it dry cereal every morning.
Human food should make up about 20-40% of your parrot’s diet.
Change water for parrots daily.

Advice

Ask your veterinarian for tips on sexing parrots.
Consider responsibilities when adopting any type of pet.
Behaviorally, if two parrots are fighting for dominance, they are probably the female. If they ignore each other for weeks, it could be a male and a female.

Steps

Sex discrimination of parrots

Sexing specific parrot breeds

How to take care of parrots

Advice

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