how to identify female and male love birds

1. Color, Shape, and Size Differences

Dichromatism is the term for the distinct color differences between adult males and females in three species of lovebirds. These species and their differences are summarized below.

Black-winged lovebird (Agapornis taranta

): The man’s eye ring and forehead are both brilliant red.

how to identify female and male love birds

Grey-headed lovebird (Agapornis canus

): the male has a gray head and chest.

how to identify female and male love birds

3. Red-headed lovebird (Agapornis pullarius

): the male has a brighter red head and beak.

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Furthermore, according to some aviculturists (bird breeders), female lovebirds typically have larger beaks and rounder heads. However, this is just based on anecdotal evidence.

how to identify female and male love birds

If a veterinarian feels a lovebird’s pelvic bone during a physical examination, they might be able to assist with sex.

To accommodate egg-laying, breeding females have a wider pelvic bone. Through a physical examination, skilled handlers can learn to feel the differences between the pelvic bones of men and women.

3. Mating and Eggs

how to identify female and male love birds

A pair of wild Fischer’s lovebirds (Agapornis fischeri

) may appear similar, but the female is actually incubating eggs in the nesting cavity.

As with most birds, the male will get on top of the female when they mate, so the best way to tell a male and female lovebird apart, aside from species with dichromatism, is to watch them mate and see who ends up with eggs! Then, females serve as the only incubators in addition to laying the eggs. Males will bring females food as they nest.

how to identify female and male love birds

Don’t assume that a bonded pair must consist of a male and a female; captive lovebirds tend to form strong pair bonds regardless of sex!

Aviculturists observe behavioral variations between male and female lovebirds in captivity, which are associated with their distinct roles as mentioned previously. For instance, they frequently assert that male lovebirds more frequently regurgitate food, while female lovebirds more frequently tuck torn paper into their feathers to carry back to their nest. There are also assertions that men are more relaxed and affectionate, while women are typically more aggressive and territorial. These are not dependable methods of having sex with a captive lovebird, though, as each bird, like people, has its own distinct personality.

Finally, testing the birds’ DNA is frequently the only trustworthy method of sexing them before they display breeding behavior for the six species of birds that are not dichromatic.

FAQ

How can I tell if my lovebird is male or female?

Color, Shape, and Size Differences ): the male has a gray head and chest. ): the male has a brighter red head and beak. In addition, some aviculturists (bird breeders) claim that female lovebirds tend to have rounder heads and bigger beaks.

How do you tell if a bird is a male or female?

In general, males are more colorful. For some birds females may be duller and more brownish. Sometimes females are smaller (but this isn’t always the case—especially for hawks where the opposite is true). One of the main causes of death in birds is predation (birds get killed by predators like cats, owls, and hawks).

Are male or female lovebirds nicer?

Males can be better as pets, just because they don’t generally have the cage aggression that the females exhibit. But species and even color mutation can affect temperament. Peach faced are easily the more aggressive and the masked and Fischer’s tend to be more laid back.

Can a lovebird lay an egg without mating?

A female lovebird will lay an egg with or without a mate when she is around 9–12 months of age. Of course, without a mate, the eggs laid will be infertile. Sometimes people end up buying two females or two males. Housing them together may lead to a clutch of infertile eggs in the former case, or no eggs in the latter.