Ask Lafeber

Question:

September 5, 2019

found bird


Hi
I found a cockatiel this morning and have taken it home. I think its a young bird but how do i tell the sex of the bird. I have put a alert on FB to see if anybody as lost one.


Answer:

Hi Keith,

If you search lost found birds on Google, there are a number of sites where you can list the bird. 911 Parrot Alert is an important place to list it. Cockatiels can fly a long way, so it may not be from your immediate area. Often when someone gets a cockatiel, the wings are clipped and the owner does not notice that the bird has molted later and it flies away. Also, cockatiels are good flyers and can fly even with clipped wings if they get a good wind.

As far as telling the gender, it will depend on how old the bird is and the mutation. Your best option is to take it to an Avian vet. Since the bird was out, it could have picked up parasites or been exposed to something that could make it sick. Bacterial infections are common in cases like this where the bird was stressed and probably tried to eat things it shouldn’t. You can try searching for images, but unless you know the age and mutation, you will probably just get confused. All cockatiels are marked like females until they are 6 – 12 months old.

I’m sure someone is missing their pet so hopefully the owner can be found.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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