Cockatiel head bobbing and beak banging?

[LittleMissHess]

So, Hess has been doing a lot of beak-banging and head bobbing lately. Sometimes if I whistle to her she bobs her head along with the rhythm (so cute!) and she will tap my shoulder with her beak when she is sitting on me. She's also extremely vocal and loves to sing and chirp and "talk".

Now, I've heard that these are things typical of male cockatiels...Hess is still pretty young and is actually beginning to molt for the fist time (her head is full of new feathers coming in)....but she looks exactly like a female (with a few white spots on her head). Do the males have the stripey undertail and the greyish cheeks until they first molt, or do they loook different?

Anybody else have a female cockatiel who does this?

[tiel4me]

I might be inclined to change my sign-in to LittleMrHess.

[LittleMissHess]

Hahahaha! I guess I'll know in a few weeks when her facial feathers are lost and completely replaced...if she has a yellow face and solid tail feathers I'll know it's Mr. Hess and not Ms. Hess!

[ashxo]

The beak-banging thing is a male thing, so i'd say your she is actually a he ;) And from what i've read, generally all tiels look like females until after their first molt :)

[CatherineL]

I agree. It is a cock and he is gone on you.

[Renae]

The beak banging is a male behavior - it is a gesture of property ownership.

Head bopping I'm not sure but I found this:

A bird who is bobbing his head may be saying a variety of things. In a young or unweaned bird, it is often a sign of hunger. Your bird may be begging for food. In an older bird, it could be a way of showing off or trying to get some attention.

Another one is Heart-Shaped Wings



Also known as "the big chest." This is when a bird holds his wings slightly away from his sides with his chest sticking out. From the back, the shape of the wings resembles a heart. This is a male parrot behavior and is a part of courtship and a way of showing off. A big chest is a great tool when flirting.

[ashxo]

^ Casper fell for Taz's big-chest and heart wings. Works well, i'd say ;)

But yeah.
Everything you described sounds like male characteristics, except for the head-bobbing which could mean anything. But a beak-banging, sing/whistle-aholic, would definitely indicate that your baby is a boy.

PeanutButter got a young tiel that she thought was female.. who then started singing like a rockstar, which indicated male. Not too long after that, if I recall, he started molting and his boy-colours started coming through.

Your baby sounds like a cutie though, regardless of gender x]