Do Male Pearl Cockatiels Lose Their Pearl Markings?

Cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus) are a type of inquisitive and vibrant parrot frequently kept as household pets. These Australian birds are seen in a wide array of different color mutations, with "pearl" being just one such example. Color mutations in pet birds are a result of selective breeding activities.

  1. Selective Breeding

    • Avian breeders can intentionally breed cockatiels to be of specific colors and marking styles. Selective breeding processes started becoming commonplace during the 1940s. "Pearl" cockatiels have a distinct pattern that is reminiscent of lace. Pearl cockatiel plumage, on all of the individual tips behind the neck, on the wings and over the back, has a yellow or off-white tone to it. The pearl qualities are much more noticeable in some specimens than in others. These specially bred birds are often referred to by an array of different names, which include "opaline cockatiels," "pearl tiels" and "pearly cockatiels."

    Males and Females

    • Male and female pearl cockatiels start to become more sexually dimorphic with the aging process. As youngsters, both genders possess conspicuous pearl patterning on their feathers. The males, however, lose the pearl markings after they "molt" or shed all of their old feathers for the initial time -- usually when they're approximately a year old or so. To be extremely specific, the males don't technically "lose" the pearl -- it just becomes so subtle that it is hard or practically impossible to detect. Unlike the males, the female pearl cockatiels remain "pearly" permanently. After molting, male pearl cockatiels look gray overall.

    Face Coloration

    • Once male cockatiels molt, their faces are usually white or yellow in coloration, while females' faces are either brown or gray -- another key difference in physical traits between the sexes.

    Other Color Mutations

    • Within the wide world of cockatiel coloration, pearl mutation is in no way the only example of its type. Some other well-known forms of cockatiel color mutation are "lutino," "cinnamon" and "goldcheek." Lutino cockatiels are devoid of darker coloration, and tend to be either vivid yellow or white. Cinnamon cockatiels are brownish -- either light beige or rich reddish-brown. Goldcheek cockatiels, as their names convey, possess golden facial markings.