Please distinguish male & female shaft tail

[athens.asad]

Hello,
Can anyone identify the male & female in them .Attached are the pics?

[bmohan28]

Hi,

Can you post a better picture focusing more on the throat bib so that we can help you better. The above pics makes me feel that they both might be males but need a clearer picture.

[athens.asad]

Here you go

[athens.asad]

2

[athens.asad]

3

[Sally]

athens.asad@bmohan28

Picture #3 did not come through. I can't help you with the ID, but I am going to move this topic to the Species forum.

[bmohan28]

Hi,

Pictures of the bib(black patch) is still not straight to clear see. But from what ever you have shared i feel they both might be males.

[cindy]

can you get close ups when the birds are relaxed, looking straight at them.... hens have a tear drop smaller more rounded edged bib, males have a broader, more triangular shaped bib.

Creamino hen on the left, gray mutation male on the right (imported into the states from Europe)

[athens.asad]

Hi Sally & Cindy,

I have tried to take a closer pic .Please see if that can help.Also if you you can suggest if different colour mutations of shaft tail can breed ? Will they have fertile eggs.

Thanks

[athens.asad]

3.same bird in the nest

[cindy]

this link may help with mutations... http://logodezign.net/SofSol/website/bi ... tions.html

Recently a small group of us brought into the sates gray and opals from Holland and Belgium, not sure if you have those mutations available.

Still a bit difficult to sex, you may have one male...you need to be looking straight at the birds bib while they are in a relaxed state.

The cage they are in is rather small, they have a tendency to get fat if not able to fly and move around much...also if you do have a pair you may want to consider a larger nest box, the young are good size. Some of mine have had 5 to 7 young in one clutch.

[terriergal]

As far as sexing visually by bib size, that is highly dubious since the bib size changes greatly from moment to moment. You really do better waiting to hear one sing, or lay an egg. I would capture one and put a band on it that you can see and distinguish it from the other. When you hear a song, pay attention to which one is singing and see if you can see the band. This should tell you which one is male. If you never hear another song from the other, it's likely female. Males will have similar short little songs (a bit like a society or zebra finch, but a little more musical) but individuals will probably vary. If you hear two different songs you likely have two different males.

I read somewhere (not sure where at the moment) that even shafttails themselves can't tell whether a new shafttail added to the flock is male or female until it sings.