How Can You Tell the Gender of a Parakeet?

Parakeets, also known as budgerigars or budgies, are small parrots measuring 7 to 8 inches including their long tails. These popular pets are native to Australia and still common there in the wild but are found all over the world. Parakeets are relatively easy to care for and have lively personalities. Many can learn to mimic human speech and become good talkers. They are also easy to breed in captivity, making them inexpensive, and giving rise to a number of mutations such as blue-feathered parakeets (instead of green) and albinos. There are several ways to determine parakeets' gender.

Things You'll Need

  • Parakeet
  • Avian veterinarian
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Instructions

    • 1

      Take your parakeet to an avian vet for DNA testing. The vet will draw a small amount of blood from the bird's leg and test the DNA to see whether the bird is male or female. This is the surest way to determine the gender of your bird. This blood draw can be part of a well-bird visit, and the blood sample can also be used to screen for a number of health problems and genetic diseases.

    • 2

      Make an appointment with an avian vet for surgical sexing. The vet will anesthetize the bird and insert an endoscope into it's abdomen to check for a male or female reproductive system. While this gives a very certain answer, this method can be traumatic for the bird and requires extra post-operative care. It has largely been replaced by DNA sexing.

    • 3

      Examine the cere of your parakeet. The cere is the fleshy ridge just above the beak, containing the nostrils. In male budgies, the skin here is bluish, while in females, it is white, brown or tan. Males also have a more bulbous cere than females. Note that in juvenile birds, all ceres are the same color as mature female ceres. Most males will develop their blue cere around the time they are a year old. Also note that this may not apply in some color mutations of parakeet, such as albinos.

    • 4

      Examine the nostrils of your parakeet. Females have a very faint white circle around their nostrils. This may be very difficult to see, especially for new parakeet owners.

    • 5

      Note certain behavior patterns of your parakeet. Male parakeets are said to sing more than females, and females are said to bite harder than males. Of course, this depends on your having several parakeets to form a basis for comparison.