[Fatima.zahr41]

I have a year and a half old female cockatiel and I was wondering it's mutation? I have two pictures from before and after her feathers start to change. I heard it was very abnormal so I'm a little confused and need help 😅
(I also have a female lutino cockatiel as well)

 

[Misstiel]

It is a male pearl. Only males lose their pearls.

 

[Fatima.zahr41]

But my cockatiel is a definite female as it lays eggs from time to time and I got her from a specialised breeder?

 

[Misstiel]

Have you ever seen her lay eggs? Are you sure it isn't the Lutino laying eggs? I've never once seen a female pearl lose its pearl markings.

 

[Fatima.zahr41]

No, I have never seen her lay eggs directly but I know she’s the one who lays them because she always gets a bit sick before it every time there’s an egg and she displays the behaviours of a female. I don’t know how or why she gains more white spots as she ages.

 

[Misstiel]

I'm not really sure, sorry. You could try DNAing her if you want to know 100% what she is. Some males will act like females so it could be that; I've had a DNA'd male cockatiel peep like a female when it wants to mate, but he's obviously a male.

 

[Fatima.zahr41]

Do you know ways to determine the sex of the bird, just in case it might be a boy? Like physical or behavioural?

 

[Misstiel]

Well, with the pearl mutation, males will lose their pearl markings while females will keep them for life. Males will also do heart wings. They are usually more vocal than females, but some females can be quite vocal, too. If they are wanting to mate, they will usually rub their vent against the perch or something; no female does that.