budgie beak sometimes gets really reddish.

Question
Hi we have a budgie named Bertie, I think she might be a female with this whole pink beak is a girl, blue is a boy. She is about 9months old we purchased her from a pet store, she's so friendly she thinks she's one of us, she walks on the floor following our feet, she says her name Bertie and Bertie bird. Know alot of commands. like down and No! anyway we wonder why her beak gets really dark pink when she's overly excited, she see her reflection on appliances and gets so excited she kisses it and says pretty bird, she's so vain. lol we wonder if it's a mating time for her not that we wan't another one ever, we love her too much to share her, she might not wan't to be with us anymore once she get's a mate. how can we tell if it's really a female, because we read a guy had two birds told they were females cause their beaks are pink, turns out they were two males. that you can't really go by the whole beak thing. please Help! anyone?

Answer
Hi,

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you.

It is actually not the beak color that helps us determine whether a bird is a boy or a girl- it is the cere. The Cere is the fleshy part of skin right above the beak where the bird's nostrils are located. Generally females have brown (or a reddish brown) color cere, and it is generally more crusty looking than the males. The males tend to have smoother ceres and it is blue. In young birds (before they reach sexual maturity- usually 6 to 8 months approximately), the cere is usually a pink or white coloration. It can be hard (if not impossible) to determine the gender of a young budgie.

Here is a website with more information and photos: http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/faqs/index.php?sid=216&lang=en&action=artike...

The changing color of her beak (or cere?) is normal around this age, but it is usually gradual. I have not heard of the cere changing color depending on a bird's mood. I would assume that with the increased blood flow that might be caused by her getting excited (and the fact that a 9 month old budgie is coming to breeding age), that this makes the cere or beak appear to get darker. Just as if we were to run or exercise a lot that we might get more red in our face.

I hope this helps.

-Maggie