Two babies and a young one

[Morgan]

Hello all!

I’m hoping to be a more active member on here now that I’ve learned a bit more about budgies!

I’m fairly certain about the genders of these three but I’m always welcoming of a second opinion:

I think the close-up/headshot is a little boy, the other baby is a girl, and the last one is also female.
(Edit: the photos loaded in reverse order, of course )

Please let me know if I’m getting this right!

[jellybean]

I think....
Picture 1 possibly girl
Picture 2 boy
Picture 3 boy

[Morgan]

Thanks! I really thought number two was a boy also when I picked her out, but after having her a few days and watching her interactions with the other little boy (they are in quarantine together) I think she is a girl for sure. I know you shouldn’t use personality by itself to judge gender, but sometimes her nostrils fade to whitish, or even powder blue, but mostly she’s all pink looking. After raising two other young birds that looked male at the very first (and they were slightly older too) and ended up being female - I’m pretty sure she’s going the same way. But I would love to hear more opinions - I am practicing!

On another forum, a long time (I think 25+ years) show breeder was convinced that boys usually have smaller nostrils, even if they have a bit of paler coloring round the nostrils, and that their ceres overall are more smooth-looking (I believe I’ve read this also from other sources). As far as I could tell she was pretty much spot on with her best judgements of baby budgie genders on that forum. She hasn’t been on in about five years though so I can’t ask her any further questions, I’ve just read through and looked at photos of a few years material there trying to learn as best I can. After applying this information to what I’ve read elsewhere and my own (albeit limited) experience with my own birds, I noticed that when my females were babies (like number two here) I could see their ceres looked more “textured” (less smooth or even translucent as a I’ve seen some people describe the very young boys) - which upon very close inspection appear to be the veins under their skin!

I’ll have to get closer photos of her cere. Also, the link to this gender-identification source is here if anyone else is interested: forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index.php?/topic/22804-sexing-baby-budgies/

[yellowfacedviolet]

Hmmm...they look like boys to me, all of 'em.

[Morgan]

Sept 2, 2020 0:10:44 GMT yellowfacedviolet said:

Hmmm...they look like boys to me, all of 'em.

Ooo, interesting. The mystery unfolds! The first one does sing a lot and act sort of boy-ish, but she’s also pretty feisty. But again, some people say not to use personality to define gender (at all).

She has definite white rings around her nostrils though, and her cere looks almost identical to one that Hezz correctly sexed as female for me when I first joined this forum. Said lady is now nice and creamy-tan to prove it.

[Hezz]

I'm with jellybean - bottom two definitely boys; top photo ... hmmm ... possible hen; I'd like to see a photo front on for another view. If, as you say, there are definite white rings around the nostrils then she sounds henny to me.

[Morgan]

I’ll take new photos tomorrow outside! I’m super obsessed with figuring out how to tell gender correctly. Then, when they are older I’ll post their “before and after” photos! :3

Thanks everyone!

[Morgan]

You know, after taking way too many new photos today - and not being able to really get much closer detail of their ceres than before - I think they might actually all be boys! I could have sworn that the oldest one in question had powder blue leaning towards white around the nostrils, but now it’s looking more like blue:



I’m really starting to get confused about this gender thing in young budgies, but I guess that’s a good thing because I’m learning!

Either way, I’ll keep taking photos so I can track the changes and post those before and after photos when they’re a bit older, and as adults! :3 It’s all very exciting, regardless of gender I love all my little flufflings! And I think I now have enough cute photos of everyone to introduce the whole flock under the pictures topic. :3 Edit: I broke my old phone and haven’t been able to get all my old photos off of it yet D:

Here’s one more of the babies (and their ceres), just to be thorough.




Thanks again everyone!

[tweetiepiesmom]

They are babies and so cute!

[Hezz]

From that photo the pied is definitely a boy, so yes, three boys.

[Morgan]

Boy do I have a lot more boys than I thought! xD