# Sexing my lutino cockatiel?



## Tessa1812 (Aug 10, 2012)

So i've had this cockatiel for 5 months now and it's 6 months old now. I can't tell if it's a male or a female cockatiel. It makes all kinds of random noises. I haven't heard any whistling yet. But I've read that they're supposed to start whistling at 6 months usually. My cockatiel is always playing with toys or playing with anything that's shiny. It does a lot of head bobbing. It seems to prefer woman of men. It's always trying to preen me. Then while I'm holding it, it lower's it's head up against my finger's for me to rub it's neck and open the pin feathers. It'll actually sit perfectly still to let me get the pin feathers it can't get. It has a yellow head with bright orange spots on the head. It's tail feathers are also a solid yellow color. I've taken one of the tail feathers that fell out and held it up to a light and haven't seen any barring. I've also tried feeling for the pelvic bone and to me I can barely fit my finger tip in between the two little bones and they feel sorta pointy. But I don't have another cockatiel to compare it with. I don't know if this would help but the mom of my cockatiel is a lutino and the dad is just a normal grey. So would anyone be able to help me determine if my little cockatiel is a female or male? 

Here are some pictures too.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

you have a boy by the sounds of it, and i do see a yellow mask on him, its hard to tell on lutinos


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## vampiric_conure (Jul 8, 2012)

I would say male, too, especially with the head bobbing


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## JaimeS (Nov 28, 2011)

Very pretty tiel!


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## Tessa1812 (Aug 10, 2012)

thank you JaimeS, Dally, and Vampiric.


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## ZainShahid (Jul 8, 2012)

My lutino cockatiel is pretty much the same.. Except for the bright orange spots and bright yellow tail which I guess is because she is just 8 9 weeks old? 
I read somewhere head bobbing is almost a certain sign of a male cockatiel. Is that true?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

The bright yellow tail is either a sign that the bird is male OR that the bird is pied, in lutinos that's hard to determine. Head banging (not bobbing, bobbing is a sign of a hungry baby) is a sign of male behavior because males do it to attract mates.


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## sangs_becky (Jun 25, 2012)

Hi there  i have a lutino ale and with a yellow mask that i can see on your tiel i'm guessing that you have a boy there. Whistling, beak banging and heart wings are all male behaviors. Start talking to him or whistle to him m sure in a few days he would become vocal


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