Is it a male or a female alexandrine

GUYS, Plz help me out. i have got an alexandrine , its name is MAX. it is 11 months old. i have looked after him since he was 15 days old. i am confused if it is a male or a female alex. i have shared his pics in my album. kindly let me know at the earliest if he is male or female

Alexandrine's do not develop neck rings and adult plumage till about 18-36 months. So it is hard to sex your baby right now unless you do DNA testing.

Sorry, but unless you get a DNA test, you're going to have to wait for a molt or two before you know for sure. My Alex, also named Max, will be 2 years old in February and is just now showing the beginnings of getting his adult plumage. We haven't DNA'ed him since it'll just be a matter of time before we know his sex for sure. Max may become Maxine.

yep, until your alex has had one or two full molts it's pretty impossible to tell without DNA sexing. The first all black (not grey, not grey-green, but BLACK) neck feather is a pretty sure sign you've got a male, but until 24-36 months of age, you can't really be sure. Could be a female, could be a late-blooming male. Either patience or a DNA test is what this will take.

Ok my pheonix must just be special then lol
he's only 10 weeks but already has a very distinct ring neck mark
there not black yet but very very dark grey or pale black
no red yet though
I'll try get a pic 2moro
DNA results due this week but I'm sure he's a he
normally however there's no markings till 2-3yrs and only in males


A flatter more triangular head is often a sign if male
a larger or darker wing patch
darker green feathers on wings when compared to a female
and more bluish grey on cheeks and tail
but DNA is the only positive way to tell

hi . i have confirmed that max is female coz i showed it to a parrot dealer and he confirmed my doubts. it is a female . i am sad coz the breeder told me that he was a male when i bought him . Also i have seen the difference between males and females. Females have a big streamlined beak whereas males have a big bulging thick beak.

Pheonix Rising said:

Ok my pheonix must just be special then lol
he's only 10 weeks but already has a very distinct ring neck mark
there not black yet but very very dark grey or pale black
no red yet though
I'll try get a pic 2moro
DNA results due this week but I'm sure he's a he
normally however there's no markings till 2-3yrs and only in males


A flatter more triangular head is often a sign if male
a larger or darker wing patch
darker green feathers on wings when compared to a female
and more bluish grey on cheeks and tail
but DNA is the only positive way to tell

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I don't think anyone can say what sex your bird is just by looking at it. I have just finished weaning an Alex & i thought it maybe a hen. But i wouldn't say for sure. My experience with this species is that there is quality large birds that are easy to sex by the shape of the head. Although another breeder once told me that you can get quality hens that have large heads as well. So IMO DNA testing is the only way to be sure.

Oh by the way a 10 week old alex with a dark neck ring doesn't mean it's a male either because the one i had also had the ring. LOL.

@ pedro - hi dude. MY max is 1 year old now. by this time he should have got the black neck ring if he were a male. Also when i went to the pet store yesterday, i saw a male alex he had a big bulging think beak. whereas my max has a streamline beak. That's the difference pedro

ronnie_jsph said:

@ pedro - hi dude. MY max is 1 year old now. by this time he should have got the black neck ring if he were a male. Also when i went to the pet store yesterday, i saw a male alex he had a big bulging think beak. whereas my max has a streamline beak. That's the difference pedro

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Actually, adult plumage doesn't usually show up until 24-36 months. So, if your Max is a male, he wouldn't have a neck ring for at least another ye - usally after the 2nd full molt. Our Max will be 2 years old in February and he still doesn't have his full adult plumage. His green feathers still have that shaded look - not the true almost glowing green of adults.

ronnie_jsph said:

@ pedro - hi dude. MY max is 1 year old now. by this time he should have got the black neck ring if he were a male. Also when i went to the pet store yesterday, i saw a male alex he had a big bulging think beak. whereas my max has a streamline beak. That's the difference pedro

Click to expand...

Your Max still has a lot of growing yet, he still is only a baby so at this point i don't think you can compare. The youngest i have noticed the start of a pink & black ring is after the second year molt. But its not untill the 3rd year that the ring is the full color. So HRH Di is absolutely right. But all the fun is waiting to see what you have.

i just got a baby alex aged 3 months or so (that is what the retailer told me) and as discussed he was not sure about the sex of the bird cos that is gonna take some time to develop the ring around his/her neck and so on im just curious to know if anyone can tell me the gender of this bird by seeing it

As already stated in the rest of this post, you cannot visibly tell the sex of an Alexandrine until after they have their second year molt, and that's at the earliest. 2 year age minimum on seeing a black ring, but only after their second molt. Sometimes it takes up to 3 years, but never before two. I have seen so many people like the original poster of this thread that have an 11 month old Alex, ask us, we tell them that DNA is the only way, then they come back and tell us that a person at a pet store or a bird dealer looked at their 11 month old Alex and it's 100% a female because it's beak is shaped this way or its head is shaped that way...It's all total crap. An 11 month old Alex has hardly started to fill out, it has a ton of growing to do, so it's beak and head aren't even close to looking the way they will at 2-3 years... Ironically the same time their second molt will be over and they may start to develop their ring, lol.

So at 3 months old there is no one on earth that can tell you what sex your Alex is by looking at it. NO ONE!!! 3 months is a baby that has not grown enough to even get a feel for what it's beak, head, etc. will actually look like, and that is totally inaccurate anyway. Sorry, you have a little baby. There is no trick here, and the minute someone tells you that "They can tell by looking", and you listen to them, your male Alexandrine will be laying eggs!

Just go on Google, search "Parrot DNA Sexing", and go to any of the hundred labs that offer DNA sexing. It only costs like $20-$30, it's 100% accurate, doesn't hurt your bird at all, and you'll know for sure in a week or two just by sending in either a few chest feathers or a tiny drop of blood from a little toenail clip. Easy, cheap, and absolutely certain.



"Dance like nobody's watching..."

Well at that age you really can't tell it's he or a she.. unless 18-36 is gone.If you are in a hurry I would suggest get a DNA test done, this test shouldn't cost more then $30.