How to Identify Male and Female Birds
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- Опубликовано: 20 авг 2020
- Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between the biology of male and female birds. Let's learn how to identify them! Please subscribe to continue learning what makes life AWESOME: BioBush.tv/subscribe
In this video we talk about the different techniques we could use to identify male vs female birds. Because it varies by species I broke it into three sections. Obvious Differences, Subtle Physical Differences, and No Obvious Differences.
Obvious Differences
Some species are totally different colors between males and females. A famous example is the Eclectus Parrot, where males are green and females are red. Or birds like pheasants, where the male is brightly colored and the female is sensibly camouflaged.
There are also things like ornaments (eg. peacock tail) and spurs (eg. rooster) that will help identify a male bird.
Some birds look different under a black light or by using an ultraviolet camera. Birds can see ultraviolet light so it's obvious to them but normally hidden to us.
Juvenile birds can make this more difficult because they may develop those traits in the future but do not have them yet.
And here's an obvious thing worth mentioning. Females lay eggs and males do not. If the bird lays an egg it's a solved mystery.
Subtle Physical Differences
Many birds are dimorphic, but you have to know what to look for in the species. We cover some examples.
No Obvious Differences
Many bird species look exactly the same! There are no obvious physical differences between males and females. We cover example species.
Finally, there's the method used by professionals, which is to do a DNA test. Male and female birds have different chromosomes that can be seen under a microscope by someone who knows what they are doing. It's amazingly cheap (like, $20) and more reliable than visual identification for most species.
If this knowledge helps you in some way consider sharing this with a friend. We can all learn together what makes Life awesome!
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Copyright
Photo "Longtailed Widowbird, Euplectes progne in early summer breading plumage at Rietvlei Nature Reserve, Gauteng, South Africa" by Derek Keats (www.flickr.com/photos/dkeats/.... Used under Creative Commons cc-by 2.0.
Video "The Cockatiels under a black light" by Michelleosprey ( • The Cockatiels under a... ). Used under Creative Commons cc-by 2.0.
Photo "Karyotype of Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao)" by CM Seabury et. al (doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone..... Used under Creative Commons cc-by 2.5.
Photo "Consensus Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) Karyotype" by CM Seabury et. al (doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone..... Used under Creative Commons cc-by 2.5.
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There are some life history traits that make birds more likely to be dimorphic or or not. I think monogamy is a big factor. I have sexed birds genetically, cool stuff
Thanks for sharing your bird experience! On the laboratory side, what was involved in identifying ZZ/ZW? Presumably you use a microscope to find a cell in Prophase/Telophase. But how do you sort out which of the chromosomes is the right one? This would be a good video topic for your channel. It's nice having such smart people come visit every week. Thanks for watching, John!
@@BioBush No, we did a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by electrolysis. ZZ you would see a thicker band in one area, while in ZW you would have two distinctive bands, because W is a smaller chromosome.
The pheasants are especially gorgeous!
Every time I look for pheasant photos I find a new, beautiful one. Himalayan Monal Pheasants were a fun discovery. This time it was the Royal Pheasant. I have helped care for Silver, Golden, Great Argus, and Lady Amherst's Pheasants. It's a very pretty group of birds. Very easy to tell the difference between males and females too. Thanks for watching again this week, Mary Rose!
Steve, I had an _amazing_ experience with a Great Argus in Malaysia’s Taman Negara: I was wandering in an area where I had turned off to in order to get away from chattering groups of people since my objective was-you guessed it-to see birds. I saw a gorgeous Brown Wood Owl and numerous Crested Firebacks when I came to a part of the trail that had a big open area (a lek, perhaps?), and straight ahead of me, clearly heading for this opening was a Great Argus. I didn’t want to spook it, so I didn’t look at it directly and very, very slowly moved to the right to be out of its way, and it also moved to its right to get to the big open area, and so in this way we gently passed each other. Those two fantastical tail feathers are probably four feet long. It’s one of the highlights of my birding life.
@@maryrosekent8223 It would be so amazing to see a Great Argus Pheasant in its natural environment. Even when I see one at work it is an improbably huge and majestic bird. Very delicate walk, giant wing feathers, and the tail feathers are enormous! I borrowed a partial tail feather for an upcoming video and it's longer than my desk. I'm glad you got such a memorable experience!
PS - Crested Firebacks are a new species to me and wow, also very cool!
Ah! Thanks for telling me this! This really help!
I'm glad you found it helpful! Thank you for watching!
sometimes people asks me if my avatar is a rooster...
Some chicken varieties look similar, like there are some European breeds where the females have big spurs. I can only say that you probably know more about chickens than 99% of everyone. So maybe it's a chance to educate people? Or you can just look at your chickens and you all shake your heads in unison. Anyway, thanks for watching again this week, Grateful Pianist!
This guy is AWSOME!!!!
Thanks for the kind words, Justin! There is so much out there to learn about birds. Thank you for watching!
I have questions!
When birds mate, is the bird on the top male or female?
And is it always the same gender when it comes to other species of birds which sits on the top while mating?
Hi Salma! I'm sure there are exceptions, because there are 10,000 species of birds that live in so many different ways. But in general, it's the male. Thanks for watching!
Question: do blue jays know they are blue?
Hi Marny! I have been thinking about this question for a few hours now, and I have no idea what Blue Jays know. They have a wider range of color perception than we do, which certainly includes blue and further into ultraviolet than we can see. So I WANT to say yes, they know, but we would need to read their minds to truly know. If you could ever definitively answer this question it's worth a master's degree, at minimum. :) What made you think of this question?
PS - Mind-blowing fact about blue feathers: BioBush.tv/oneminute
What's the different from american robin
Another sign is vocal chord size. Males have larger vocal chords than female birds, and it translates to pitch.
That's a good clue! Especially for songbirds, though it will vary greatly between species. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, and thanks for watching!
I just found a baby bird by my next door neighbor they weren't that interest it so I took it in my uncle is helping me I'm 11 year's old I love animals so I'm helping the baby bird it's healthy it just needs body heat and food it's so cute I'm looking after it
Hi Midnight Mystery Edits! It's very kind of you that you want the baby bird to have good care. You have inspired me to make a future video about what people should do if they find a baby bird. Thanks for watching!
Male or female in pet birds. Cockateils. About the orange cheek? Which one has the orange cheek? Male or female? I have the one with the orange cheek, so which is it?
Hi Aimee! They both have orange spots, maybe a slightly different intensity. There's not really a perfect way to identify them from feathers or behavior. Male cheek patches are darker (usually), but DNA is the only perfect way to know. Thanks for watching!
I just rescued 2 week old baby Woodpeckers and would like to know ways to determine male/ female. With squirrels it's easy!!
Sorry, no way to tell them apart other than DNA test. The best outcome for the woodpeckers will be to get them to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible. Thanks for caring about birds!
@@BioBush I've been feeding them hourly and will release them when they are ready.
A bro i have to lil birds and their head of the 2 are red and green and on thir teil it has purple n dark blue on the other one it has light blue
Hi Edwin! Sounds like you have a couple of Rosy-faced Lovebirds. This is a species where there are no obvious differences between males and females, so the only reliable way to identify them is a DNA test. The test is fairly inexpensive. But for most purposes it doesn't matter whether they are male or female. They learn the same, they behave basically the same, etc. I hope that helps!
You said male budgies have a blue cere and females a pink cere but you showed budgies with 2 blue ceres. Show me a budgie with a pink cere.
Hi Jay! The picture at 3:05 has two blue and one pink. The picture at 3:08 has one blue and one pink. The cere is the patch of skin above the beak. I think you'll notice the difference. Thanks for watching!
Today a swift bird was resting on the stairs and the group of cats were looking at it and then my parents decided to bring it home so I want to know is it a male or female
Hi Sonia! Swifts are one of those species where there are no obvious differences between males and females. Thanks for rescuing it, and the next best way to help it would be to find a safe place to release it. I also appreciate you stopping by to learn about birds!
It's trying to learn how to fly
Thank u
How to identify if my Bull Bull Bird is male or female
Hi Swiger! They are a type of bird where the feathers are the same, but the size is slightly different. Females are slightly smaller, but not enough to be sure. So, if it lays an egg, female. DNA test would work. Otherwise, you might not know. Sorry that's not very helpful, but thanks for watching!
My Bull bulls wings are going she can't fly properly first she used to y properly she is eating properly but
How can you tell seagull apart?
Hi Nate! Gulls have a slight size difference where males are usually larger, but a small male is smaller than a large female. This is one where you would need a DNA test to be sure. Add it to the list of things that are difficult to identify about gulls. :) Thanks for watching!
@@BioBush thanks! I did some research and turns out you can tells by brightness of the bill and plumage as well though also difficult
How to tell the difference between male and female
"common hill myna"?
Hi Sitara! For Common Mynahs, they are one of the birds with no obvious physical differences. Males are slightly larger on average, but there is overlap between male and female sizes. A DNA test would identify them, and there may be behavioral differences during egg incubation. It looks like females are the ones to incubate eggs overnight, and males and females trade incubating during the day. And obviously, if you see the bird lay an egg, it's a female. Thanks for watching!
hey ooooooh this way is very best you gara use it guys
its really good
Thanks Adane! With 10,000 species of birds it's hard to make a universal answer, but I tried to include the most common birds that people have questions about. I appreciate you watching!
I would think it would be the male, just like any other species. I’ve seen it with my two conures!
Unfortunately, no. They are more complicated than that, which is why I could not include them in this video. :)
50th 🔥👌😍
Thanks, SJR15! There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thanks for watching!
Please! Please do mocking birds 😭 I can’t identify mine 😭😭😢
Hi Ember Wolf! Unfortunately, there is no obvious difference between male and female Northern Mockingbirds (most common species of mockingbird). Are you in a situation where owning a mockingbird is legal?
How about Magpies?
Good question, Herobrine! Magpies have subtle differences. Males have a white nape (back of head) and females have a greyish nape. Hopefully you're asking about a species where the nape is obvious! Thank you for watching!
@@BioBush thank you very much!
Hi
Hi Lionprotector! Thanks for watching and subscribing. I hope you learned something interesting!
How myna
Hi Sandosh! If you are asking about the Common Mynah, they are one of the birds with no obvious physical differences. Males are slightly larger on average, but there is overlap between male and female sizes. So the methods remaining are to do a DNA test or to observe their behavior. It looks like females are the ones to incubate eggs overnight, and males and females trade incubating during the day. Let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks for watching!
thanks
@@BioBush I own the myna. But he is alone, and I do not know what or even how old he is, but it is doubtful that he is young because he does not carry a yellow color around his eyes, but rather white, and I very much want to bring another husband, but I do not know his nationality, and I went to more than one bird shop and they did not know that. You may want to know, as it is very singing and sleepy, and its color is grayish brownish-black, and sometimes fierce.
@@allawif7674 Hi Allawi! There are various laboratories out there that will do DNA testing so you can be sure. I found one by searching online that offers a DNA test for Mynahs for 8 Euros (plus shipping), which is impressive considering the technology involved. That one was mybirddna, but please don't take this as an endorsement because I just learned about them and have never used their services. You should find a lab or avian vet that you feel comfortable with, that can identify DNA for your species. I hope that helps!
@@BioBush Well, thank you. If the vet has information I will share with you
Male are beautiful 😂😂