Instructions
Zebra Finches
Look at the beak. Male zebra finches have a dark orange or red beak, while females have orange beaks. If the the zebra finch is entirely white, it can be sexed only by the beak.
Listen for the song. Males sing, while females do not.
Inspect the coloration. Males have a black bar on their chest, orange cheeks and brown flanks with white spots. Females lack these markings.
Saffron Finches
Look at the bird's coloration. Male saffron finches have a more yellow cast to their feathers.
Look at the hue of the bird. The male saffron finch is slightly brighter than the female.
Look at the orange spot on the bird's forehead. Male saffron birds have spots that are larger and brighter than those of the females.
Owl Finches
Wait until the birds are old enough for their full color to come in. The sexes are largely indistinguishable until they are adolescents.
Look at the lower breast bar that runs across the owl finch's chest. The breast bar on a male owl finch is thicker than the one on the female finch.
Look at the white area on the owl finch's face. The male's face is a brighter shade of white and the white area is a little larger than that of females.
How to Tell Female From Male Finches
Whether you are breeding finches or selecting only finches of a single sex for your aviary, sexing finches is a valuable skill. There are many different varieties of finches, and what you need to look for varies from species to species. While some finch species clearly are distinguishable from each other, others have more subtle markings and require a careful examination.