It is moderately easy to tell male and female finches apart, since their markings are usually gender distinct. Like many birds, the male finch is more brightly colored than the female, since the males must compete for the female's attention. A simple visual inspection is usually correct in determining gender, despite the fact that there are many varieties of finches. Male finches are more outgoing, brighter and boisterous than the female finches in every species.
Sexually Dimorphic Species
Mutations of Sexually Dimorphic Species
Sometimes species which are ordinarily sexually dimorphic may appear sexually monomorphic due to a certain coloration or mutation. One example of this phenomenon is the white Zebra Finch. Typically, Zebra Finches are very easy to sex because the male usually has at least one of the following features that the female typically lacks: cheek patches, a breast bar, or spotted side flanking. The white mutation, however, complicates things because in all-white birds, neither sex has any markings to help distinguish the males from the females. In some cases, the male's beak is a darker red than the hen's orange beak, but some variation is possible making the two genders appear nearly identical. To the inexperienced Zebra Finch keeper, mutations such as these can be very confusing and make sexing the birds a challenge.
Seasonal Changes in Plumage
Also complicating matters is that fact that some of the sexually dimorphic species only show differences in markings and/or body coloration during the breeding season. Unfortunately, in these birds the "eclipse" (non breeding) plumage of the cocks looks nearly identical to that of the hens, who do not change colors seasonally. Examples of these types of species are the Strawberry Finch (Red Avadavat) and the Orange Weaver. To the left is a photo of two strawberry finch cocks in differing amounts of "nuptial" (breeding) plumage. When Strawberry (or Orange Weaver) cocks are sporting their eclipse plumage, they are (basically) visually indistinguishable from the hens.
Sexually Monomorphic Species
To confuse things further, many finches are not sexually dimorphic at all. These sexually monomorphic species do not have any obvious or subtle morphological differences between the genders, making visual sexing impractical, even during the breeding season. Examples of these types of finches are Society (Bengalese) Finches, Owl Finches, and Spice Finches, to name a few. Because cocks and hens are so similar in appearance, other factors must be looked at to determine the sex of these birds. Differences in singing, courtship, and nesting behavior may all provide clues as to the gender of the birds.
Of the two sexes, in nearly all of the species, only the cocks will sing. (The exceptions to this are: violet-eared waxbill hens, purple grenadier hens, melba finch hens, and some firefinch hens which may sing, especially when separated from their mate. In these cases, the song of the hen is shorter, less elaborate, and often softer sounding than the cock's.)Both cocks and hens may make simplistic chirps and calling noises, but typically only the cocks have the more lengthy and elaborate song. Often the cock's song is accompanied by a "dance." During courtship, cocks of some species may sing while hopping and/or holding a feather or a strand of grass, for instance. In a few cases, hens may try to mimic this dance (such as the occasional Lady Gouldian hen which hops up and down while vocalizing), but they chirp instead of sing. If possible, place a group of monomorphic birds of the same species in a community aviary or flight and observe them. Catch the birds which sing and/or display male courtship behaviors and band them to make their identification easier. Males sometimes court other males, so the birds being courted are not necessarily hens. If your bird lays eggs, it is a hen; hens can lay eggs even in the absence of a male.
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