# Female Pearl mating with Two birds??



## Joe_1974 (Feb 28, 2009)

Hi All - Over the last one and half years, I've had 6 cockatiels and I had 4 of them mating which helped me identify their respective genders (none of my cockatiles have till date laid any eggs).

First Pair: Normal male grey mating with a lutino female (she usually lets him mount her back but then starts screaming and pushing him off once he starts mating with her).

Second Pair: Lutino male mating with a pearl female. This pair usually mates quite regularly and I find it funny that their mating gets the other cockatiels in the cage all excited. Some of the other birds often interfere with their mating rituals by poking around.

Today I found a very strange behavior. After my second pair finished mating, the female lutino (from the first pair) mounted the female pearl (from the second pair) and started mating with her. This left me quite bewildered.

1. Did I get the lutino female’s gender (First pair) wrong? As mentioned earllier, I have seen her let the normal grey male mount her back several times (even though she eventually pushes him off once he starts mating). I initially thought it was his nails that were bothering her but even after trimming his nails, she continues to let him mount her back and then push him off (once he starts mating).

2. Why did the female pearl (Second pair) allow the lutino female (from the first pair) mount her back after her original mate (Lutino male) finished mating with her? I always thought cockatiels bond with their mates for life.

Luckily I was able to catch this on video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRsZu8usD0Q

You can see towards the end of the clip the female pearl allowing the second bird (lutino female) mount her back after her original mate (lutino male) finishes mating with her.

Has anyone ever observed this kind of behavior before???

Joe


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Cockatiels sometimes form same-sex pairs. But I'm guessing that the lutino "female" is actually a male. He/she was submissive enough to let a male climb aboard but didn't want to complete the act. Most female tiels DO want to complete the act.

If this lutino is an adult, try looking at its tailfeathers or primary wing feathers in front of a strong light (it can be sunlight). If you see stripes or spots, she's a female. If you don't see these markings it isn't conclusive, because some lutinos don't have enough contrast between their yellow/white tones for us to see the difference. But it would be an indication that your bird could be a male.


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## Joe_1974 (Feb 28, 2009)

@tielfan - Is it normal for the female pearl to mate with two birds? She's never done that before and always seemed bonded with only her lutino male mate.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Infidelity seems to be pretty common in the parrot family in general, and cockatiels are no exception. The pair frequently stays bonded after this happens. "Birdie adultery" helps the female conceive if her mate happens to be infertile, but he can still help her raise the chicks.

Breeders who want to be sure of the chicks' parentage have to keep each breeding pair in a separate cage. There's no way to be sure who the daddy really is in a group aviary.


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## Joe_1974 (Feb 28, 2009)

@tielfan

I took some pictures of my lutino bird (who is paired with a normal grey male)under a bright light. I can see the yellow stripes running half way the length of the wings and also on the tail (pictures attached). 

Can you also take a look and let me know what you think? Is my lutino a female? If yes, it bothers me why she mounted the pearl female just after she finished mating with her mate (lutino male).

Also attaching a video clip of her letting the normal grey male mount her back but then pushes him off once he starts mating.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=085o1yFs1N4


Joe


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## Joe_1974 (Feb 28, 2009)

*Normal Grey Cockatiel - Gender??*

Hi - I am attaching pics of one of my grey cockatiels that unfortunately does not have a mate yet. Could you take a look and let me know the gender?

This bird rattles its beak (not bobbing) on the food dish.

Joe


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

The grey is a young male going thru his molt.

Your lutino hen does not appear like she really wants to mate...and yes a hen will mount and mate another hen. It is quite possible you have a gender challenged (gay) female. Medically it could be not enough estrogen being produced.


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## Joe_1974 (Feb 28, 2009)

If it is her estrogen levels that causing havoc, can this be rectified via proper diet?


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Yes...there are some greens and veggies that contain estrogens. Offhand I can not remeber which, and will have to look them up.


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