Cordon Bleu

[jessyh]

So, I got my very first cordon bleu a few days ago. But I can't tell if it's a blue cap or red cheek. The pet store owner said it was traded in and was told it's a female but she's thinking it's a young male. It's the loudest bird in my bird room, so I just don't know. We're all confused! I know females of all 3 different cordons look almost exactly the same, so if it's a female I don't know what to do. Never breed it, I guess. Any tips on how to tell the 3 females apart? Sorry the pics aren't good, s/he moves too much!

[Sally]

I would guess it as a Red-cheeked CB female, if the tip of the beak is as dark as it looks in the photo--however, the body is similar to a BCCB hen, more rounded in shape, though that could be caused by a new bird being a tiny bit fluffy till they settle in. If you look at the photos of CBs at the Finch Information Center, the Blue-capped tend to have a beak that is a bit shorter, more fuschia in color. The Red-cheeked tend to have a beak that is a bit longer, more narrow, and darker, especially at the tip. Another subtle difference between BCCB and RCCB hens, the RCCB hens tend to have a bit more brown on the top of their head. With my CBs also, the BCCBs tend to have a rounder, fuller body, while the RCCBs seem more streamlined. They are subtle differences, much easier to see if you have both species to compare.

If it is truly a young bird, it could still be in its juvenile colors, and then the males will look like adult hens until they molt into their adult plumage. My Red-cheeked male juveniles are just now showing their red cheek patches, and they hatched about October 11, so they are a little over 2 months old now.

As far as the Blue-breasted CB, I have never seen one of those in my area. I have seen them for sale on the West Coast--they used to be much more expensive than the BCCBs and RCCBs, but the price has evened out lately.

I have a feeling that the lines sometimes have been crossed on the BCCB and RCCB. I have no basis in fact, and should probably keep my mouth shut, but I have heard from a few people that some of the 'mass' breeders, the ones that tend to sell at flea markets, etc., are not paying any attention to keeping these two apart. If they happen to have an extra BCCB cock and an extra RCCB hen, they will pair them, as all they are concerned with is getting babies. Even more frustrating to me--how the heck are they getting those babies anyway? I can't get my BCCBs to raise!

[jessyh]

That was a ton of great info Sally, I really appreciate it! I'm pretty sure now it's a Red Cheek hen. Long, narrow beak with a black tip. She is a bit round in those pics, she was in the middle of shouting her little heart out. That's why I was confused about sex. But I've read that the females can have fairly complex calls too, which can be confusing.
It's really sad that people cross breed them. Either out of greed or just ignorance. Kinda like me and not knowing what she is. So, should I be fairly confident that this is a red cheek female? Would it be terrible if I bought her a red cheek male? I can get better pics if anyone wants more detailed ones. I am fine with her never breeding, but it would be nice to try if I can do it without cross breeding. Thanks again!