Usually, a bird’s gender is unknown to other species of beings; it
is a well kept secret for the bird itself and its kind. When nature
created the birds, it never took into consideration the human specie
and the knowledge that this last one needs.
In some birds, the gender can be identified by the individual’s
colors, wither completely, or, in some cases, only when they reach
maturity. The eclectus male for instance is green, while the female
is red. At maturity, the nasal area (cere) of a parakeet male is
blue and the female’s one is brow. However, there are still many
species of birds that don’t have different colors depending on the
gender.
The importance of knowing a pet’s gender is represented by their
owners’ desire to give them proper names or to know what pronouns to
use when they are addressing or referring to the animals. It also
matters for the breeding of the animals because some people know not
to expect babies from a pair of birds of the same sex.
Many methods were discovered so far to determine the birds’ gender,
some of them scientific and some of them, most of them, non –
scientific, discovered by common people in their own houses. We will
show and overview of the scientific methods of discovering the
birds’ sex: DNA Sexing, Surgical Sexing, Blood Feather Testing and
Fecal Analysis.
Every method of testing has both negative and positive sides and the
best one is the one that fits the owner’s needs and the situation.
The DNA Sexing method:
In this procedure, a drop of the bird’s blood is required for a DNA
testing. The DNA will show an image that will provide reliable
information about the bird’s gender. This method is very accurate
but it takes up to four weeks to be processed.
The blood is collected from a vein or a toenail by the owner and
placed in a prepared collection of vial. This way it can be sent to
a lab even by using regular mail. This method is very easy to be
performed and it is not stressful.
A bird’s DNA is unique and cannot be modified. So, as in human DNA,
a bird’s one is the same since the moment of birth until death.
Those tests performed on birds DNA can also be stored by the labs
that own a data bank and can be later used for identification or
matching.
This method is thus, very easy to be done, it is not expensive and
if the period of waiting for the results is not a problem, it may be
the best choice. This DNA test will show a bird’s gender and not its
capability of reproducing.
The surgical sexing method:
The second method of discovering a bird’s gender is the surgical
sexing. This can be done only by a veterinarian, through endoscopic
surgery. The bird is put under anesthesia and through a small cut in
the bird’s skin, the veterinarian inserts a small metal tube with a
light attached on, called the endoscope. This way, the bird’s sexual
organs can be seen and, along with the gender, the veterinarian can
determine the sexual maturity, any abnormalities and the possibility
of reproduction.
ven
though this method is very accurate and quick, it may put the bird
under a lot of stress. Unlike the DNA sexing method, this one
provides immediate results for the owner, in case this one is
interested in breeding the bird. The procedure is quite safe, but,
on some occasions, it may generate some post - operative or
anesthesia complications. The primary concern was the injected
anesthesia because it induced a long period of sleep and vomiting.
Researchers have discovered new anesthetics for the birds, gases
that eliminate the side effects caused by the injected ones. Those
new anesthetics are considered by the experts to have negligible
risks and the bird will wake up in a matter of minutes after the gas
mask is removed.
In the past, veterinarians used to tattoo birds after their genders
were determined through surgery. Males were tattooed under the right
wing and females under the left one. More recently, microchips or
leg bands were used for marking them.
The Blood Feather Analysis (BFA) method:
This method requires a blood chromosome test. This test is performed
on cultured tissue from the bird’s blood feathers. If the bird has
no blood feathers, some will be pulled out and in their place new
ones will grow in two or three weeks. Those feathers are put in a
special container with cold packs and sent via priority mail to the
laboratory where their tissue is grown and researched under a
microscope. The results will appear in around two weeks.
As in the case of DNA sexing of the birds, this method is accurate
and safe; and it works on any bird regardless the age but the
results are not prompt. As negative sides of this testing method are
the higher costs for priority mail and the impossibility of checking
the sexual organs of the birds in the cases of breeders.
The Fecal Method of gender determination:
This method is not as accurate as the others and it depends on more
than one factor. It consists in collecting fresh fecal samples from
the bird in special conditions and mailing them to the lab. The
specialists will determine the gender by the hormones (estrogen and
testosterone) level from the fecal sample. This method can only be
applied on mature birds and it depends on the health of the birds
and on the conditions of the sample’s collection.
The fecal method is not expensive, is safe and should bring the
results in one week.
Every person will choose the sexing method for his or her bird as it
best fits his or her needs. Probably, the breeders will choose the
surgical method because of it’s advantages, while those who own a
pet bird will choose DNA or BFA methods.
