Question: Sun conure head shape: male or female?

(Posted by: Juliana on 2010-08-12 18:57:25)

My sun conure is about 3 years old and we thought she was a girl. However she hasn't started to lay eggs yet. I heard you can tell the sex by the shape of their head. I can't really tell though so if you could find me any pictures of the head shapes or explain the differences in detail I would appreciate it. (:

Posted by: brucemoko on 2010-08-13, 00:09:05

Forget it. Most people don't think there's any difference. Those who think there is say: 1) Females have a rounder and smaller head than the male. The male's head is squarer, with a flatter forehead. 2) Fully feathered baby females have more red on their head; adult males have more red. 3) The pelvic bones are closer together in males. The fact that no source I've seen lists more than one of these methods leads me to doubt their usefulness. Even if they're true, they're accurate only in the sense that men are taller than women. On average they are, but you'll make a lot of mistakes if you apply it to individual people. Differences in sexual behavior might be slightly more reliable, but not much. If you want to really know, you should do DNA testing. There's a site showing how well various such methods work for determining the sex of lovebirds. see ethologie.nl/ english/ lovebirds.htm

Posted by: Sonnie on 2010-08-12, 19:13:34

Why not get a DNA testing done on your bird? a little drop of blood from the finger nail and your done. check jpbirdsexing.com.

Posted by: Angie on 2010-08-12, 19:35:18

I dont think that way of visual sexing is reliable; Ive never even heard of it. My friend has three suns who were DNA tested, two males and a female. They range from 1 year to 5 years and the shape of their heads seem to be no different from each other's. Id suggest you DNA test it; that is the only way to be sure. The JP Bird Sexing website that Sonnie suggested is one of the cheapest out there at $15 per kit.