Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 7/24/2008

Question
I've had my budgie for a year now, give or take two three weeks and i'm STILL having trouble with it's gender!
 At first the petshop workers said it'd probably be male because it's cere was light blue with a white ring around it. The budgie was not hand tame but ive managed to tame it quite well even though it doesnt like to be scratched.

ANYWAY, I thought it was FOR SURE a male because of the blueish cere and all behavior pointed towards male.
Head bobbing, the occasional warble, regurgitating for a shiny toy and clacking beaks with my cockatiel [who is so not interested] and it was very vocal all the time. [It also imitates a lot of sounds i make.]
 Now, recently it's cere has turned dark crackly brown [not purple- brown] and after that the brown chipped off it was a very pink cere.
 Once again the cere has changed colour but its crackly lighter brown with white higher up. So you'd think it was female.
 BUT I bought anoter budgie who I think is male because of the never ending warbles and the fact that he's trying to court and feed my "female" budgie. She has nver attempted to feed him. The only thing is, 'she' seems to be courting him too.
I don't think shes's recessive pied, so the cere SHOULD be blue if its a boy.
Do you think even though it's cere is pale and crackly, its still a boy?

Oh and one moe thing, sorry. It's eyes are still black [redish in the light] and isn't that supposed to chang to silvr when it gets older? I think it's a fancy budgie. My other budgie has silver eyes but he' a lot bigger too. Still, hes not an english bugdie.

Here are some pictures.

http://s64.photobucket.com/albums/h165/youssarian/?action=view¤t=DSCF3725.... [the ne in the middle her/his name is Stuart.]

http://s64.photobucket.com/albums/h165/youssarian/?action=view¤t=DSCF3720....  

PLEASE keep in mind, I don't need answer based completely on cere colour. And sorry for the long description but people I ask seem not to pay attention to detail!

Answer
Hi, Khadijah,

I think this bird is female.  A female keet can have a blue cere, but if the cere is "framed" in white, the bird is female.  The brown, crusty-looking beak is a sure indication the bird is female.  When a female is in breeding condition, the cere turns dark brown and crusty.

Female keets can be vocal, but they usually don't have the "song" that a male has.  Head bobbing can be either sex, as can regurgitation.  Regurgitation is a sign of affection and can be either sex.  Beak clapping or "kissing" is one way keets communicate with other birds/keets, so can be either sex.  

Males normally feed females, however, I've seen both sexes exhibit this behavior.  Be sure that feeding is taking place because keets will "beak" with other keets of the same sex as a form of communication.  

Your best bet in sexing these birds (other than DNA sexing) is watching their behavior when they are together.  Normally, the male will be the most dominant trying to feed the female, he may try to mount her, he may run around her trying to keep other birds away, etc.  However, be aware that a male may not feed a female right away.  Normally, this behavior occurs when a pair of birds are pair-bonding.  Therefore, if they haven't been together very long, pair-bonding may not yet be taking place.  Also, sometimes other birds will feed a bird that is ailing or injured, etc.

It would help to know the overall coloration of your birds, as well as the age of the newest keet.  An all-white bird may have a white cere (indicating the bird is female), but still be male genetically.

Adult keets have dark eyes framed in white.  Only albino birds have red eyes (a bird can be all white in color, but not be an albino).

Chrys