Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!samsung!emory!gatech!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!eagle!galaxy!hubler
From: hubler@galaxy.lerc.nasa.gov (Dale Hubler)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Parakeets and Cockatiel Romance
Message-ID: <1991May15.112201.14854@eagle.lerc.nasa.gov>
Date: 15 May 91 11:22:01 GMT
References: <76195@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU>
Sender: news@eagle.lerc.nasa.gov
Reply-To: hubler@galaxy.lerc.nasa.gov (Dale Hubler)
Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Lines: 44

In article <76195@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> fleming@acsu.buffalo.edu (christine m fleming) writes:
>I couldn't get this to mail to John, but, he made some interesting
>comments and i thought that someone may be interested and/or benefit
>
>John...
>
>Thanks for your comments! They help a lot!
>
>
>>>old enough to sex. (He is a lutino, and i have heard that i can sex
>>>the cockatiel by his primaries when he is mature...) As for behaviour
>
>>females have horizontal bands across the TAIL feathers/ a males cheeks
>>are a brighter color than females[the round orange patch] this is
>>usally distinct even in babies.
>
>Well, i was told that the cheek-patch test isn't really that valid.
>mature and if there were spots on the primaries then the bird was
>female. I also looked at the primaries, and they seem to have a sort
>
>>>(fleming@sun.acsu.buffalo.edu)
>
><john c.

A lutino cockatiel is the white tiel.  The white color is due to the
abscence of melanin, the pigment that creates the grey color.  Immature
and mature female tiels do have "banding" in their tail and wing feathers.
Mature males do not have these bars.  Of course, this is much easier to
spot on a tiel with grey coloring, but it also holds true for lutinos.
In a good light examine the underside of your tiels tail and wing
primaries.  If it is a female you will see the bars of yellow on the
white feathers.  Stop in a pet shop and look over the greys so you
have a better idea of what you are looking at.  Notice the colors on 
the underside of the tail and imagine them without the grey color.  This is
also helpful for sexing pieds sometimes.  The cheek patch test is not
very accurate (if at all) and is very subjective.

Dale Hubler


--
Dale A. Hubler  --  Sverdrup Technology  --  (216) 977-7014     
                                             hubler@galaxy.lerc.nasa.gov
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