The Natural Choice Conure Sexing A toZ

Abstract


 logical place to begin a discus- 1 ~~on of conure sexing is with the two popular methods of surgical sexing and the more recently introduced blood chromosome sexing. There are several reliable sources across the U.S. for either method and should one have any doubts about one's abilities to visually determine gender, scientific methods should be employed prior to pairing psittacines for breeding purposes.

Whenever we choose surgery, we opt for only those avian veterinarians who have performed hundreds if not thousands of incisions upon dozens of species. Not only are the costs per bird less, but the vast experience of these select veterinarians reduces the procedure to a matter of mere seconds' Sometimes to ask a Jess practiced or local vet to surgically sex one of your conures is asking for a worrisome experience for both the vet and you.

Chromosome sexing in a laboratory using a blood sample taken from a clipped toenail is normally safe and reliable.

Over the years, we have avoided the necessity of either method with our domestically bred conures held back for breeding purposes. The reason is simple, the longer you own and observe your conures prior to pairing and setting them to nest, the more reliable "clues" these loveable psittacines will offer you pertaining to their gender.

Initial information toward sexing in unweaned baby conures is available as soon as the chicks are pulled from their parents. Study closely the face and head portions of each chick and make comparisons among the clutch. Males will often have a distinctively thicker upper mandible than the more petite-faced hens. Their head between the eyes can appear more blocky and strong looking. The traditional "flattop" head shape attributed to males is not by itself to be taken as a deciding gender indicator, but combined with a thicker beak and head and a wider forehead from beak to crown, it may be considered significant.

Observe closely the beak angle where the upper mandible grows out of the forehead. When viewed in profile, a female's beak will often curve out and softly down in a graceful arc; males are more likely to have the upper beak growing thickly straight out and then hooking down. This male beak lines up more with the top of the head when the bird opens its mouth, say in a wide yawn.

I have breeder friends who, using physical traits, regularly predict gender with 85 percent accuracy on their fledgling conures as soon as they are pulled from the nest. Obviously, the more babies one observes over the years the sharper become one's instincts.

We routinely make pelvic touch exams of all our baby conures looking for clues to gender. In truly young birds, bones are far from rigid and not finished growing, but certain chicks will show more flexible, wider spaced, round edged bones (female) as opposed to the males' closely- spaced, rigid, sharp-edged pelvis. From 16 weeks to 32 weeks these clues become more pronounced and reliable.

Feather coloration in fledglings can be quite misleading regarding gender. Adult plumage may differ slightly from male to female. Male Sun Conures, for example, might show extra orange highlights on cheek and belly. Greencheeked Conure males may be slightly redder on breast; Cherry-headed males may have larger red patches; Painted Conures may be more vivid; while Peach-fronted males sometimes have more orange feathering around their eyes. These are tendencies only, of course, and not to be taken alone as indicative of sex. The more clues one may amass, however, the stronger the conclusions to be drawn.

At age four to five weeks in smaller conures (pyrrhura, Half-moons, Suns, etc.) and at six to seven weeks in Blue-crowned, Nandays, Patagonians and such, the typical gender behavioral characteristics of our other parrots becomes manifest. This is the real "bread and butter" of visual sexing methods applied to conures.

At this time we watch which babies are quick to peer over the edge of their nusery tub, which are anxious to go exploring, which are precocious in their demands for affection. We have found through the years that these are definite male tendencies - along with the mock attack when a stranger or unannounced hand enters their immediate space. One must be careful not to confuse the fluffing of head feathers and beak threatening of both males and females with a rushing attack. Also, some species such as Maroon-bellies are more aggressive at an early stage towards invasion of their privacy. One bird may fluff and attack with open beak and two or three others follow closely behind by instinct. It is the leading aggressor which is most likely a male. Hens may threaten but stay back or even hide behind brothers.

This is the stage for personality formation in our fledgling conures, a time when close scrutiny will reveal substantial clues to true gender. As the birds pass six months and begin to mature, nearly any pet owner can make an educated assessment of a bird's sex.






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