What mutation is my cockatiel?

[Eric&Rebecca]

Hi,

We have a 5 month old cockatiel but we aren't sure what mutation he/she is... We think its a he due to the head bobbing, mimicking, singing, whistling, tapping.... etc. We thought he was a grey but his yellow is very pale and his chest feathers almost white and speckly. He also has random yellow speckles on his feathers which are too tiny to photograph but these are only on his chest and around his wing joints. Also his wings have white spots above the white band of colour. Any ideas?- He hasn't had his first molt yet so still in juvenile coat FYI.

Also we have noticed some pin feathers and he started losing some tiny feathers, one or two crest feathers and down, with keratin dust everywhere. Does this mean he is starting to molt?

[Snoopy_the cockatiel]

Hi there,

I haven't seen a grey cockatiel which is 5 months old as I have a 3 month old lutino tiel.But a grey one is easy to find just from their color.This is definitely a girl.Actually male grey cockatiels have bright yellow face and a grey body.Females have this way of mixed colors - grey with pale yellow.Hope this helps..

[Eric&Rebecca]

Hi there,

I haven't seen a grey cockatiel which is 5 months old as I have a 3 month old lutino tiel.But a grey one is easy to find just from their color.This is definitely a girl.Actually male grey cockatiels have bright yellow face and a grey body.Females have this way of mixed colors - grey with pale yellow.Hope this helps..

Hi,

I can understand why you think its a girl but...

Grey's are gender indistinguishable until at least 6 months AFTER THE FIRST MOLT- they are all female looking up until then. Edmund hasn't had his first molt but his behaviour is distinctly male. The avian vet observed this very clearly at his first check up when he sang to him for 10 minutes solid and did a little display for him. Having had a female prior from a young age and 2 males at around his age I can guess quite confidently he's a male with the breeder (with 80 years experience) and the avian vet thinking the same.

What is unusual from all the grey's we have owned before (male or female as we have owned both in our family homes between me and my partner) is the white dots on TOP of his wings and the pale front. None of our cockatiels had this before and they were grey's and were all DNA tested, the female laid eggs to so no mistakes there.

I'm just wondering about whether he could be mixed with something else, or is just an unusual grey.

[Snoopy_the cockatiel]

Hi Eric&Rebecca,

Is it? This is my first bird and its 3 months old.So I don't have any practical experience on this gender thing.I was just saying from the things I know about tiels so far. Because normally people face problems in finding the gender for other mutations.
Based on that,can u say about my tiel's gender ?My Cockatiel Snoopy is a lutino type and she has yellow dots on her flight feathers and horizontal pale yellow stripes on her tail feathers.Its very clear in bright light and it is 3 months old.Its very active and playful.

[Eric&Rebecca]

Hi Eric&Rebecca,

Is it? This is my first bird and its 3 months old.So I don't have any practical experience on this gender thing.I was just saying from the things I know about tiels so far. Because normally people face problems in finding the gender for other mutations.
Based on that,can u say about my tiel's gender ?My Cockatiel Snoopy is a lutino type and she has yellow dots on her flight feathers and horizontal pale yellow stripes on her tail feathers.Its very clear in bright light and it is 3 months old.Its very active and playful.

Hi,

Yes, all grey's resemble females until after their first molt, we have to go on his behaviour until he molts. As your cockatiel is only 3 months he/she does not have his adult plumage. This occurs between 6-12 months depending on the cockatiel. A full molt from juvenile to adult plumage can take up to 10 weeks and every feather including tail and flight feathers are shed. Your cockatiel, like my grey, will resemble a female regardless of gender as it is a juvenile. If your Lutino is a female the markings will not change like the bars on the tail feathers and the spots on the wings. If it is a male the wings and tail feathers will be clear of spots.

HOWEVER, this is not always the case as the gene for Lutino colourings is linked to the sex chromosome which means these hereditary traits may only show up in certain birds, depending on the sex of the parent bird carrying the trait. Also, a male cockatiel is more likely to sing,whistle, mimic and talk to you and tend to be a bit more playful. You can have a very talented girl but this is quite rare as generally females are more quiet and shy with a cuddly nature. Your breeder/vet can usually make a good guess instinctively based on their behaviour, it's not 100% guaranteed however a pretty good indicator one way or the other before the first molt.

Overall, the best way for you to tell the gender of your Lutino is to have her/him DNA tested as he/she may still be gender indistinguishable after his/her first molt.

I hope this helps

Rebecca, Eric and Edmund (possibly Edna)

[Snoopy_the cockatiel]

That's quite a neat explanation.Thanks to all three of you.From her feather markings I was guessing she may be a girl.But she started giving sounds when I am not there,then to come out of her cage and when she is excited or happy.These behaviors seems like a male.Lets wait and see,no issues.The breeder says - It will be known only when they grow up.Gender doesn't matter for me as of now..Anyway thanks for the valuable information.

[Eric&Rebecca]

That's quite a neat explanation.Thanks to all three of you.From her feather markings I was guessing she may be a girl.But she started giving sounds when I am not there,then to come out of her cage and when she is excited or happy.These behaviors seems like a male.Lets wait and see,no issues.The breeder says - It will be known only when they grow up.Gender doesn't matter for me as of now..Anyway thanks for the valuable information.

That's cool. Anything else you want to know let me know

Females still chirp and are friendly but males tend to sing more, whistle, mimic etc. However, at 3 months Snoopy is probably a little young. Edmund starting whistling at about 41/2 months but learnt extremely quickly. Whatever the sex Snoopy sounds like a great bird and you're doing great from the sounds of things. Gender isn't so much important as the personality and all cockatiels are individuals we grow to know.