Help sexing Bourkes

[danaday]

Hi everyone

Can anyone help me sex my bourkes visually without having to DNA test? They are just normal Bourkes. Initially, when I first bought them the breeder said they were a male and female pair. And I know it's suppose to be easy sexing normal bourkes since the male has the blue feathers above his cere. But my allegedly female has developed blue feathers above her cere.
Any thoughts would be appreciated!

They are younger birds. I've included pics with and without flash.

[danaday]

The female is the one on the right side. Male is on the left. He's also bigger. They are younger birds.

[lovezebs]

danaday

Although I don't have an, I was able to find a bit of information about sexing them....

http://lafeber.com/pet-birds/meet-the-bourkes-parakeet/

http://thesplendidbourkebirdblog.blogsp ... ittle.html

http://beautyofbirds.com/burkesparrots.html

From what I understand from reading about it....
Males will have the bright blue band, while females usually do not. However some females do have some blue feathers, but they are a more dull shade.

The males as a rule tend to be brighter coloured once they molt into mature plumage.

Hope this is helpfull .

[danaday]

Thanks Elana

[lovezebs]

danaday

So did you figure out if you have a true pair yet, or are the kids still moulting?

How do you find their personality, by the way?

I've heard somewhat conflicting thoughts about these birdies.
Some people say that they are the greatest hookbills to have around, while others say that they have no personality and just sit there doing nothing all day long.

Any thoughts?

[wilkifam]

http://iqbirdtesting.com/

If you ever do want to DNA test a bird, this site is great, and only $10 per bird.

[paul-inAZ]

I'll jump in re:personality,
I had Bourkes for some time and liked that they are calm, quiet and non-aggressive when housed with finches.
They are however not very active. They're animated pre-dawn and for a while in the very early morning and again around sunset. Mid day they do pretty much sit around and nap or at least aren't very active.
Overall a charming bird though.

Sexing normals is easy once they are mature. The blue band above the cere is reliable.
Visually sexing rosies is accurate 50% of the time.

[danaday]

lovezebs

No, I did not find out if they are a true pair. I guess I'll just wait and see. Lol. Either way, I don't mind. I was just curious.

I really enjoy Bourke's parakeet. I find them very quiet, which is why I wanted them in the first place. I like birds that are more on the quiet side, like Gouldians tend to be. They are more active at dawn and dusk. Other than that they just sit and look pretty. Mine are not tame, but I hear hand tame ones are really affectionate. At one point I had them with Gouldians, but they Gouldians were too much for the bourkes. Imagine that! lol so they are in their own cage now. I would say that they will get along fine with more quiet finch types like Gouldians. They also have a nice pleasant chirp, unlike most screeching sound other parakeets/parrots make.

[lovezebs]

danaday

Thanks for the info...

If you like the quiet affectionate types, look into Linnies as well.

Absolutely adorable creatures.

[lovezebs]

paul-inAZ

Thank you for the information.

How are they with people? Do they bond closely like some of the other parrot species?

[paul-inAZ]

They are not known for bonding with people.
It can be done but I gather that this is uncommon. Perhaps if started as co-parented chicks and kept as single birds with no other Bourke to identify with. As with most small hookbills they prefer to socialize with their own kind.

Calm as mine were with people around they were not at all fond of being handled. I never let mine fly free in the house -on purpose anyway.

[lovezebs]

paul-inAZ

Thanks Paul.

Some of the colour mutations are lovely, like the pink and yellow ones, not sure what they're called.

[Nerine]

lovezebs

They are rubinos and lutinos

[lovezebs]

Nerine

Thanks.
Aren't they absolutely lovely?