Determining the sex of a pet bird can be next to impossible without professional help in some cases.
To correctly identify your pet bird’s sex, the preferred, accurate, trusted method is testing your pet bird’s DNA, a process known as DNA sexing or bird sexing.
The DNA sexing procedure is a safe, minimally invasive method. It involves the collection of a blood sample placed on a filter paper and sent to a lab for analysis. In birds, blood is typically taken from the jugular vein since there is a featherless tract on the neck — the apterylae — which makes the vein easier to spot.
Once collected, DNA from the sex chromosomes of a bird is analyzed by DNA sequencing using gel electrophoresis and PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) techniques.
Surgical sexing can also be done, but since this procedure is more invasive and requires a general anaesthesia, it is only recommended in certain cases.