bird sex

Question
I got a new bird so I can partner it up with a female but the bird I got I don't know what gender it is, is there another way to know the gender without a test or waiting for it to lay an egg or not. We chose the bird because it had darker cheeks but it looks like a female.


Answer
Hello Claudia and thank you for your post.
The only two ways to tell the sex of a bird for sure are to have a DNA test done, or to wait until the bird lays eggs.
I am assuming that you are talking about cockatiels from your statement about the cheeks.  You might be able to tell if the bird clicks its beak when (s)he is conetnt.  Males wil click their beaks, but the females do not.  Also, if your new bird is loud and whistles a lot of melodic tunes, then chances are that it is a male, but this is not always the case.  I have a female that whistles just like my males (although she does not click her beak).

Good luck and God Bless.
Dianna