Is my hen really male?

[lanah]

Hello,

I'm new to this site and relatively new to budgie husbandry. I had what I thought were two bonded pairs (feeding each other, regurgitation, head bobbing, grooming) but recently the "hen" in one of the pairs became rather aggressive. She dashes back and forth along a perch and does not let anyone else sit next to her. She picks fights with the other budgies. She steps on her mate: I caught her sitting completely on top of him and harassing him. He was really not liking that and had his beak open and was squawking/hissing at her. After I saw that, I'm wondering - did I misjudge? Is she really a male, or just a very aggressive female? How common is it for hens to harass their mates like that? He did get hurt recently (separate thread) so is she reacting to that? I have separated him from the other budgies but thought his mate would be OK with him. That ended up being a resounding no, and she's back in the bigger cage with the rest. She's now harassing the others in the bigger cage. Any advice regarding a) is this a male or female and b) is this behavior normal, would be greatly appreciated

Lana

[hitman]

Sounds like it is a female (males are rarely aggressive) and in the picture you can tell from the cere. She does look pretty young still maybe less than a year? What's the balance of your flock males to females?
I had a female that was introduced to new birds and she didn't take too kindly to them. I tried to seperate mine but was told it would be better for them to all be together. Its a bird world and maybe she is trying to establish her position as boss among the others. So I let mine be together and the younger birds are much bigger now and as they grew bigger than the aggressive female shes no longer like that. They do seem to get along fine now. It may just be an age thing. I would recommend having a food dish for each bird and a perch for each too. I read in the past that mirrors could also be a cause for aggressive behaviour. I play classical music to my birds during the day with a radio, I think this helps to keep them relaxed and they do enjoy singing along.
The picture attached shows my birds all in the one cage getting along fine although I let my birds fly free and I keep them in an aviary outside.

[Marianne Marlow]

Hens can be quite aggressive. They are generally better if they have a lot of space!

[lanah]

Hitman and Marianne - thank you for your answers! And Hitman, you are completely right: she is very young. I have 3 males and 2 females. The hens are peevish harpies compared to the boys. You have a lovely flock, by the way!

[hitman]

Thanks lanah,
It is better to have more males than females but I ended having the opposite. You're budgie will grow out of this behaviour. Everything you said reminded me of my first experience with a dominant female. Your flock will come together if you let them be. Unless you feel blood will be spilled I wouldn't intervene. The other birds will also learn to fend for themselves and this will also help stop the behaviour.
I wish you luck