African Grey parrots are known for their grey feathers. The shade of grey depends on the subspecies of African Grey. Congo African Grey parrots are lighter in color than the Timneh African Grey parrots. There are general differences between the male and the female of the species. However, these differences are not so distinct so telling the male and the female apart is a little bit difficult. Knowing the gender of your pet African Grey parrot is important so that you can choose the best name for your pet.
If you are a new owner of an African Grey parrot, you can tell the differences between the sexes if you look closely. You can simply assess the general appearance and size of your parrot to help you tell its gender. So, what are the things to look for in determining the gender of your pet?
Step one: You need to measure your pet parrot. In general, male parrots are larger than the females. Males measure between 12 and 14 inches high. If your pet parrot measures less than 12 to 14 inches, it could possibly be a female.
Step two: You need to consider the shape of your pet’s head. The female African Grey parrot has a longer neck than the male. Also, the female has a smaller head compared to the male. Another thing to consider is that the female’s head is rounder than the male which has a flatter head.
Step three: Look at your pet parrot’s body. If your pet is female, her body will be elliptical in shape and more slender than the male parrot’s body. On the other hand, the male parrot’s body is rounder.
Step four: Take a look at your pet parrot’s tail feathers. The tail feathers of the male African Grey will be fully red in color. The female African Grey parrot’s tail feathers are still red, but will possess silver hues.
Step five: Inspect your African Grey parrot’s wings. With males of the species, the underside will be dark grey while it will be light grey in females.
Step six: Look at the eye patch of your pet. Male African Grey parrots have eye patches that have pointed ends. Female African Grey parrots have eye patches that are rounded.
If you have done all of the steps mentioned yet you still don’t know your pet African Grey parrot’s gender, you can take it step further: compare your pet with a known female and a known male African Grey. If your pet parrot looks more like the female you are comparing him with, it probably is female. On the other hand, if it looks more like the male parrot, it probably is male.
However, if you have done all of these and you still can’t tell the gender of your pet you can take the last resort. You can have your pet subjected to surgical means to tell the gender to DNA testing. These procedures can be quite costly, however, you can be 100 percent sure of your pet’s gender.