What gender is this Bourke's Parakeet?

[caklock]

Hi everyone! I was just given a Bourke's parakeet. I just love this little bird- very gentle and hand tame, about 2 years old. That's all I know. Can anyone tell me if it is a male or a female, and if it is a color mutation or a 'normal'? Thanks so much!!

 

[JerseyWendy]

I 'believe' it's the nominate form of Bourke. And my guess would be a female since I don't see a blue band over your (pretty) bird's eyes.

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

The Splendid Bourke Bird Blog: More on Sexing Bourke Parakeets & a little on Splendids

Bourke's Parrots aka Bourke Parakeets, Rosey Bourkes or Bourke Grass Keets | Beauty Of Birds

 

[caklock]

JerseyWendy - thank you for the information. The thing is - I do see a blue strip between my birds eyes. Maybe I'm looking too closely and seeing only a faint blue vs a bright blue? I really want to get this bird a companion and have heard that 2 males are sometimes problematic, so want to get the right gender so they hit it off OK. I feel bad that this little bird is all alone....

 

[JerseyWendy]

Yes, I definitely saw a faint blue stripe in one of the photos, too. Could you kindly post some more?? Of course only you can be the judge of how blue the stripe is.

I'll see if I can dig up some more info (I honestly don't know much about Bourkes).

I'm sure your baby would love some company.

 

[JerseyWendy]

I think you're right. Yours is definitely looking like a male after seeing more photos.

Have a look at this site, please:
The Splendid Bourke Bird Blog: Avian Genetics, Bourke Parakeets by Su Yin

And I noticed you added a 3rd photo, which clearly shows the blue band.

 

[caklock]

Thank you for that link. I want to say he is a 'Normal' male, but still not sure. I would be nice to have a male/female to compare side-by-side!! Maybe I can find a local expert to come take a look - might be a long shot....

 

[caklock]

More pics!

 

[RavensGryf]

FWIW, to me it looks like a male. Some species the male and female do have subtle head shape differences, although it's not always easy to tell in pics. Of course it's not 100% accurate either, but there is a slight difference in some species if you have a good eye for it.

It's not a normal. I'm not sure what they call that mutation, but that one is not a wild colored Bourke's.

My mom has a 10 year old Rosy mutation male. Pinky is an extremely gentle and quiet bird who almost seems like he's half finch. He prefers to not be touched, although he will step up to be relocated. He hops (doesn't climb like other parrot species), isn't big on playing with toys, and shows absolutely no aggression toward humans. Although I believe he keeps his bird friend in line lol.

 

[caklock]

Thanks for your input RavensGryf - much appreciated!

And another picture - this little bird just loves Kale - so cute!

 

[Kae]

I'm not sure but I would be tempted to say it's a male. My friend has a similarly colored Bourke's and he is male for sure. I'm not an expert, though, so I may be wrong.