Parrots and gender preference

[Jtbirds]

Ok so this is a slightly contiverisal topic. I will start by saying how can a parrot tell a gender of a person. If you can prove this with scientific evidence I will envy you because I have searched all over and have no answer. Secondly I don't believe that parrots can tell male from female I believe that they can pick certain attributes of a male or female that they like. Let's say a deeper voice or a less dominate personality. It is proven that parrots can view in an ultra violent spectrum called the 4th spectrum so they see your heat indexes. I believe this has a huge factor to do with parrot training. Before I work with a behavioral issue(I work in rescue and this happens daily). I calm myself losing all negative energy so technically my heat indexes look friendly and warming to an animal. Many times with a parrot that hates men i can still handle just fine. I test this statement every time i hear it. I personally hate the male female preference crap.So with that said what is your opinion on it and please back up your response of your idea

 

[astar86]

I am interested to see peoples responses to this as i have always wondered the same thing.

 

[wenz2712]

Sorry, but I do not agree at all!! My Amazon most definately can tell the difference between a Male and a Female! He does not like Men full stop!

Even if my Son dressed up as a Female and used a Womans voice, Codie would still know the difference.

 

[NiR]

on a side note , what are some birds that have a tendency to choose 1 preferred sex? It would suck if a person can only own 1 BIRD ever and he gets a bird that hates him/her.

 

[MarciaLove]

I am not certain as to whether they can really tell but I do think they most definitely pick attributes they like more than others and some attributes males are more likely to have than females or vice versa. Also as a natural horse trainer I am a FIRM believer attitude is everything! you go near any animal especially a horse with negative attitude or in a bad mood and you are gonna get nowhere!

 

[Jtbirds]

Personally, I think the point is moot. The birds do have preferences that they show. Regardless of what a person wears, what they sound like, what kind of New Age ritual they go through, the bird still has its preferences. The issue is when people get a bird that is a one gender bird and expect it to change totally because they want it to. Obviously, there was no time spent with said bird before purchase/adoption or the proper questions were not asked

The bird has a preference of course but I do not think it is gender based. I believe it is attitude based and many other attributes contribute to the parrots liking. As stated I do not think taking in a parrot out of the blue and expecting it to change for you should happen but I dont think that the changes have to do with gender at all.


As for Codie the amazon he may not like your son or a male presence in your house, but I still believe one day he would find 1 man out of how many he has met that he would respect and respond to no matter what he acts like now.

 

[MonicaMc]

Facial hair vs no facial hair
Long hair vs short hair
Tall vs short
Skinny vs Average vs Chubby vs Overweight
Deep voice vs soft voice


My mitred conure was supposedly a male only kind of bird because he was owned by a man for 10 years of his life. For the year that he lived in a pet store, he had bonded with a young girl. For the year that he was in a 'foster home', he bonded with both humans (a male/female couple). He's now been with me for 6 years (and a few months, he's 19 this year) and he is most definitely "my" bird! I'm also most definitely female! He does not like to be handled by strangers, but someone did work to earn his trust, and you can tell! He wont take food from a stranger, but someone he's come to trust he'll take food from. He wont happily perch on a stranger because he will try to get back to me. However he will perch on someone he knows and trusts without trying to get back to me.


I do think that birds can have gender preferences, however I would believe that it's mostly based on a specific trait, or traits that the bird is accustomed to of one sex or the other.


I recall reading a blog by Barbara Heidenreich where-in she was able to train an umbrella cockatoo. It wasn't until after she worked with and handled the 'too that she found out that this bird hates women and doesn't do certain behaviors. Barbara had no problem interacting with the 'too or asking it to do the behaviors that the 'too supposedly didn't do. I found that rather amusing!

 

[henpecked]

My response, like your's, is based on experience not science. I too work with rescue amazons,daily,for many years. Yes they have gender preferences. Why? Who knows. How can they tell? I have a hen nape who prefers males, male dogs,male birds,male people.(she loves my wife and daughter but that took years) In your OP you imply that you would have better success with a bird who prefers females then say, i would. " i can handle birds that hate men just fine". I'm pretty good with zons but i would never say that. I know of several zons that most any female could handle but i;m the only man who can handle them but that took years. Do you live near me? I'd challenge you to that contest. Sorry but i disagree with much of what you say.

PS why did you not offer advice to calaab in her post about women hating zon? Please respond to her,,,,,http://www.parrotforums.com/amazons/28763-amazon-parrot-only-likes-males.html

Did you join just to post about yourself or to help new parronts? Someone who works daily with rescue parrots would be a real asset on this forum. Maybe you could do some real good and keep a few birds out of rescue.

 

[Jtbirds]

My response, like your's, is based on experience not science. I too work with rescue amazons,daily,for many years. Yes they have gender preferences. Why? Who knows. How can they tell? I have a hen nape who prefers males, male dogs,male birds,male people.(she loves my wife and daughter but that took years) In your OP you imply that you would have better success with a bird who prefers females then say, i would. " i can handle birds that hate men just fine". I'm pretty good with zons but i would never say that. I know of several zons that most any female could handle but i;m the only man who can handle them but that took years. Do you live near me? I'd challenge you to that contest. Sorry but i disagree with much of what you say.

PS why did you not offer advice to calaab in her post about women hating zon? Please respond to her,,,,,http://www.parrotforums.com/amazons/28763-amazon-parrot-only-likes-males.html

Did you join just to post about yourself or to help new parronts? Someone who works daily with rescue parrots would be a real asset on this forum. Maybe you could do some real good and keep a few birds out of rescue.

I did not mean to imply that any bird hating men can change over night. I implied with work handling a bird with that horrible stereotype over its head I believe anyone can handle that bird. Every time a bird steps in the rescue that supposedly hates men I work with it and challenge that because no bird should be stereotyped like that it takes away from potential homes. So sorry it may have seemed that way:s.

Secondly I,ve just joined and haven't had much time to few a lot of Threads so I have not yet seen that one I will post on it ASAP.

Thirdly yes my goal was to come on here and help as stated I haven't had time to sit at a computer and respond to a lot of posts but I am doing my best to hit the most touchy subjects, most revolving around cockatoos:/.
Thank you for your post and I always love to hear from a zon lover, my red loved was my first bird way back when(heck of a first bird lol)

 

[JerseyWendy]

My response, like your's, is based on experience not science. I too work with rescue amazons,daily,for many years. Yes they have gender preferences. Why? Who knows. How can they tell? I have a hen nape who prefers males, male dogs,male birds,male people.(she loves my wife and daughter but that took years) In your OP you imply that you would have better success with a bird who prefers females then say, i would. " i can handle birds that hate men just fine". I'm pretty good with zons but i would never say that. I know of several zons that most any female could handle but i;m the only man who can handle them but that took years. Do you live near me? I'd challenge you to that contest. Sorry but i disagree with much of what you say.

PS why did you not offer advice to calaab in her post about women hating zon? Please respond to her,,,,,http://www.parrotforums.com/amazons/28763-amazon-parrot-only-likes-males.html

Did you join just to post about yourself or to help new parronts? Someone who works daily with rescue parrots would be a real asset on this forum. Maybe you could do some real good and keep a few birds out of rescue.

I love you, Richard!!

 

[ruffledfeathers]

I never had a bird with a specific gender preference, but i know it can be somewhat common. My dogs definitely prefer women and will completely flip out if an unknown male comes near the house.
I always thought it had to do with early exposure and bonding but maybe i'm wrong. (i wouldn't really know because, like i said, never experienced it w/my birds).
And i think there are always exceptions to rules....

 

[Karigan]

My sennie perfers men. It took 6 months for her to bond with me as well, and I'm an obvious second. When we have guests over, she'll step up onto a man's hand no problem, but she'll growl at women. It doesn't matter how young they are or how long their hair is, how high their voice... The result is still the same. I had a friend rent a room for a while and it took four months before she'd stop growling at her every time she walked by. By then she decided to make up for lost snuggle time, but that's besides the point!

 

[MonicaMc]

I never had a bird with a specific gender preference, but i know it can be somewhat common. My dogs definitely prefer women and will completely flip out if an unknown male comes near the house.
I always thought it had to do with early exposure and bonding but maybe i'm wrong. (i wouldn't really know because, like i said, never experienced it w/my birds).
And i think there are always exceptions to rules....

My dog, Kodi, was like that. He grew up in a female household, so he was accustomed to females. Men were a hit or miss. Either he'd cautiously like them or he'd be so scared he'd piss himself. Very rarely, he'd meet a guy he instantly liked. He never had a negative experience with men, either. Most of the time, he'd get over his fear if offered a treat, except for men he was particularly afraid of. Of those men, he had to have frequent exposure to them over a period of time before he'd stop pissing himself and enjoy interacting with them.

Kodi wasn't kept at home, all the time. I used to take him out with me frequently around the neighborhood, out to the mountains or to the park. At the park is when I found out that rambunctious kids that chase him terrify him.


Now though? He likes meeting strangers (as long as I'm with him, he barks at anyone who goes by if he's out in the yard alone) regardless of sex, and has learned to put up with my 2 year old nephew.


The trigger to Kodi's fear seemed to be mostly big/tall men, since he seemed to accept average height or shorter men with better ease. Length of hair/facial hair didn't seem to make a difference.

 

[Grinder]

Great topic. I certainly am not scientifically inclined in anyway, but I believe certain species can tell a human male from a female. Due to their heightened senses such as dogs and cats I do believe they can determine to a good degree between a male and female. I also believe that due to certain treatment they may have received from a male or female that they form a blanket opinion about males and females. So maybe some birds do have a preference to one gender over another, but I also believe that individuals have the ability to win that parrot's affection regardless of gender. My DYH Amazon was only suppossed to like females, but after two days of only me interacting with him, he finally warmed up to me and I was his favorite.

 

[ruffledfeathers]

MonicaMc - yes, my Pinto particularly freaks if a TALL man comes in. He will eventually settle down but he tends to keep an eye on the 'scary man' and will follow him if he tries to get up from the chair and move around.
He is fine when we are out on a walk unless someone stares right at him (especially if a man looks right in his face).

 

[Turk]

Very interesting topic!

After years of observing my Zon, I am most curious as to why and/or how he (seeming instantly) determines a trust level not by gender but for each individual he comes in contact with.

With some people he is most interactive. He allows them to feed him, will step on to their hand, etc.

With others he will shy away, even screach and yell if they come to close. One time he actually jumped down from his cage, put on his big,mean bird look (wings and tail spread, feathers ruffled, head thrust forward and eyes pinning) and chased a visitor out of the room.

Have always been wondered if anyone else has had the same type of experiances.

 

[Abigal7]

I never had a bird with a specific gender preference, but i know it can be somewhat common. My dogs definitely prefer women and will completely flip out if an unknown male comes near the house.
I always thought it had to do with early exposure and bonding but maybe i'm wrong. (i wouldn't really know because, like i said, never experienced it w/my birds).
And i think there are always exceptions to rules....

I am of the theory that to have a dog or bird that will tolerate people in general they will need to be socialized at a young age. My mom gave me a dog who has the habit of not wanting to go up to strangers at all. At the pet store a guy bent down to pet my dog. My dog backed up behind me as if to say to the guy I do not know you man. My sister even commented that the dog seemed to have eyes only for me when she visited. He likes my mom and step dad since he lived with them. He was a rescue that lived with a old lady when he was a puppy.

 

[Jtbirds]

socilization is a big part of how the animal will grow up, but i do believe that an animal can be socializied at any age. While rescueing birds you meet some that are not so friendly to put it in kind words. with patience they grow and become more social. although yes early on is the best stages to hit the socialization as in there stages of growth they adapt quicker.

@turk this sounds like a typical bird picking who he likes and interacting with them within his comfort level.

 

[Birdlover11]

I am very interested in this debate. I have always wondered about this

 

[Abigal7]

I think some birds can be one person birds or pick a gender. So I would take that into consideration if someone says this bird was pretty attached to someone or this bird prefers women. When I was a child the green cheek conure I had (I think it was a male) did not want to have anything to do with anyone except me. It would bite at my stepbrother who would bother it when I went away. He told me "your bird is mean it bites at me when I go to the cage". I can not give a scientific reason but let us go by the theory that parrots have the IQ as high as a two to five year olds (depending on the species). A two to five year old child can tell things apart (believe it or not). Whether the difference in their toys or telling people apart. I do wonder what we look like to birds since they see more color. Not to mention birds are more in tune with their instincts so maybe they could tell twins apart due to how the people act. Dogs can tell people apart and they see less color then us. Some animals may use smell. I remember someone on a reptile forum saying his reptiles are fine when he is in the reptile room. However, the reptiles go into hiding if someone else walks into the room. It depends on the bird (it's personality) and what species it is. A cockatiel for example may warm up to people easier while a Amazon may stay by it's owner and make up it's mind any strangers will not spend any time with him.