Page 1 of 1

Owl ? How to tell male from female??

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 8:44 am
by AngieCort68
IS there a way to tell them apart? I'm not sure if my owls are a couple or not. Thanks.

Re: Owl ? How to tell male from female??

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 9:41 am
by finchmix22
There are some visual clues, but they are not very reliable. The best bet is to separate them in different rooms/separate cages for 30 minutes or more. The one that sings is a cock and the other is likely a hen. You can also feed eggfood to them while separated and the hen will lay eggs (infertile), the cock will not. LOL. Some males do not sing a lot and others sing all the time, so a non-singer is still not a guarantee, but separating them helps to figure it out. Visually, they say the hen has a more narrow head with a "dirtier" look to the white face and breast. The male has a thicker black bar across the chest and has a deeper set black frame around the eyes. I have six Owls and I know 3 males and 3 females, but I could not sex them visually by the descriptions given for sexing. They defy the norms, appearance-wise. However, three have laid eggs and the other three have been singers. So, I was able to confirm.

Re: Owl ? How to tell male from female??

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 9:43 am
by cindy
Angie, they could still be young yet. Males are the only ones that sing.

Liz's has a owl sexing page that is very helpful. When femalse are mature the bib is darker, dusty color than the males. Males have a brighter white look to them. The head shape when looking down at them, also....it is all outlined on her page.

here is the link, I take this to shows when looking for owls.
http://www.gardenessgardens.com/OwlSexing.html

If you post a picture of both, front view we can try to help you. I cantell males and females apart most of the time when they are closer to about 9 months to a year.