New pair.

[Aimie]

I picked up my new pair of tiel's yesterday from a friend who was lightening her load. She bought them a few months ago and was assured one is male and one is female. She was also told they are two years old. I'm not so certain on anything that she was told because they look and seem younger then that to me and both have barred tails.
If anyone, like maybe MIKE can tell from the pic, I'd be grateful for your opinion's.

P.S. Ignore the rust on the cage, it is temporary. It was the only cage she had that we could fit in the car. Hubby is building a nice new aviary for them, they aren't hand reared so I think they will like a nice aviary to fly around in more than they will being stuck in a cage.

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[Aimie]

I forgot to mention Names.... Bo and Peep.... Bo is on the perch, He is slightly bigger than Peep, his head and nostrils etc. Peep just seems a little more petite but not sure if that means anything sex wise or not.

Can anyone tell me what their mutation or genetics are? They are grey and white no other colour anywhere.

[avinet]

The cockatiels are both whiteface pied cockatiels. Whiteface pied can be a bit tricky to sex visually, but my guess is they are both females. If they are 2 years old then a barred tail would indicate female. However if they are young birds, a young male will look like a female and it is only between 6 and 12 months a male will moult adult colours - solid dark grey to black tail and more white on the face. I assume if she bought them a few months ago they are at least 6 months old so you should be able to tell by behaviour - the male will be whistling while any hen will just shout.

You can also tell from the underside of the flight feathers. Pull out the wings and if white bars go across the wings they are female - adult males will have solid colour.

Some images to show the underwing spots are at www.upatsix.com/chats/cockatiel/topic101054.html but note these are in pearl cockatiels where the spots are more intense than in a pied.

Also at tinyurl.com/6n5thf2 there are some good photos of a young male with wing spots and photos of a male moulting them out and as an adult with no wing spots.

Finally the white face pied is a recessive mutation - both parents have to carry the genes to produce whiteface and pied. If your pair turn out to be male and female you will get all whiteface pied. If they turn out to be both females then look for a male at least split to whiteface - a pied would be good, while a whiteface pearl would likely give some very pretty whiteface pearl pied daughters like the one near the bottom of www.tailfeathersnetwork.com/community/showthread.php/44685-whiteface-cockatiel-colour

cheers,

Mike

[Aimie]

Thanks Mike.

[Aimie]

HI Mike, I'm still not sure what the sexes are one has solid white wing feathers no barring. It has been a while getting a good look because they are not tame and will not let me get near them. That one is a lot noisier then the other but I can't decide whether it is a shout or a whistle. The other bird seems less boisterous and I haven't had a good look at its wings open. Her is an updated photo in a nicer cage too.



On the hut instead of in the hut... Go figure. LOL

[avinet]

I still think they are both females - both appear to have baring on the upper tail area. A male would be solid dark grey with no barring. As well their heads look more female to me. If a male is whistling it is a very definite whistle - one that a human whistler could easily copy. If you can't tell if it is a whistle or a shout then it is likely a shout. A male at their likely age - you never did say how old but I am assuming around 1 year now - will be whistling and likely courting a female as well.

All the Cockatiels that I have known have never used a Happy Hut - and they will only go into a nest box when they want to breed. So to them it is just another place to perch. The main birds likely to make use of a Happy Hut are Lorikeets and Conures, and possibly Quakers.

cheers,

Mike

[Aimie]

Cheers again Mike. You are a world of birdy information. They did use the huts properly in winter but now its warming up I am guessing they don't need to be so toasty anymore. I plan on moving them to an aviary soon, will I be able add a male then? do i have to put him in a cage in the aviary for a few days so they can get used to each other or do I just add him? I haven't introduced birds before. Would I need two males or would one be suffice for now? I don't want either to feel left out.. as daft as that sounds.. Haha..
Thanks
Aimie

[Aimie]

Oh also I am not sure on the ages. I don't think the previous owner knew she got the from a expo thing. I will ask her though as I am in contact with her.

[avinet]

With cockatiels it is normally OK to add another without having a problem. Sometimes if there is a male already in the aviary the new male might get a bit of a hard time while the new pecking order is sorted out, but never any damage done, just a bit of beak sparing. Even that is the exception than the rule.

If they are going into an aviary that would be the ideal time to add one or two males - two is ideal but if it is a single male, he will be very happy!

Look for a good sized white-faced pied or at least a normal pied known to be split to White-face. If the male also carries the pearl gene that is even better, but to know what you are getting there you would have to find a reliable and knowledgeable cockatiel breeder who knows their mutations. And of course, to get a quality bird from a breeder who knows their birds will likely cost more than your typical Gumtree bird However in the long run quality always pays.

cheers,

Mike