Java Sparrow's are monomorphic in appearance, in other words, they appear the same, but there are some subtle differences to help discover their sex.

Sexing Java's is not easy and even experienced Java Breeders get it wrong occasionally. I hold my hands up here and now to say that I've got it wrong on several occasions since taking on this species back in 2005.

Incorrect sexing, nine times out of ten, usually applies to a Java being identified as a hen which eventually proves itself to be a cock bird when it starts to sing.

There are several methods that can be used to help you identify the sex of your Java Sparrow's which I have listed below.

The Java Sparrow Society UK (JSSUK) have many experienced members who have passed on their knowledge to other members like myself which has been a great help in my hobby.

Here are a few methods used to sex Java's.
 
 

As with virtually all species of bird, the Java Sparrow being no exception, cock birds confirm their sex as soon as they start singing, this is the easiest method of identifying the male Java. This obviously involves spending time in your birdroom observing your stock to single out the birds that start to sing.

I house my young Java's in a flight cage and seperate the cock birds as soon as I hear them sing. I find that by doing this, it removes the more dominant birds and encourages any other young cock birds to come forward and present themselves with a song. I have experienced cock birds that I have housed for approximately a year before they have sung. All of that time I have presumed they were hens.
Personally, this is my preferred method of sexing Java's. Depending on the individual bird, I believe that there are beak shapes that can 99% guarantee the sex of a cock or hen. But are occasionally exceptions to this rule, there are beak shapes that I call "inbetweeners", ie; beaks that do not follow the "text book" shape. Pictured below are photos that illustrate the obvious differences of the Java Sparrow's beak.
 

Cock

Hen
 

In my opinion, these are perfect examples that clearly show the difference of beak shape between the Java Sparrow cock and hen.

Also note the eye ring in these photos, the cock bird (left) has a more swollen eye ring than that of the hen. You can also see that the eye ring of the cock bird is a deeper shade of red when comparing it to the hen's eye ring. This method of sexing is alot easier when the cock bird is in breeding condition (as pictured above).

The first difference is noticeable in the overall colouring of the beak of the cock bird. It's clear when comparing these two photo's, that the colour of the cock bird's beak (left) is generally a darker shade of red than that of the hens. You can also see that both beaks fade to a shade of white where the upper and lower mandibles meet. You will notice that the cock bird has less of this shading than the hen.

 
Cock
Hen
 

Looking at the beaks from the underside of the Java's head you can see, in most examples, that there is a noticeable difference between the sexes.

The sides of the beak that spread into the neck are more swollen that the hen's. A former JSSUK member once likened the shape of the underside of the hen's beak to a stiletto heel worn by women (tilt your head and look at the picture of the hen's beak above and see if you can see the resemblance).
 


This method is often used to sex Java's and is the favoured method of the JSSUK's Honorary President, Ted Hounslow.

This technique uses the position of the eye in relation to the centreline of the Java's beak. The theory being that the eye position of the Cock bird should sit on ,or just above, the centreline.

The photo on the left shows a centreline drawn on a Java Cock bird's beak, and as you can see, the eye is sitting just on the line.

 

Applying the same method to the hen, this clearly shows that the eye is positioned lower on the line than that of the cock bird.

Personally, I find this method rather difficult but since creating these diagrams, I have a better understanding of the technique.

 
 
All of the sexing methods above apply to all of the Java Sparrow mutations and colours. Two of the colours in particular can be a little easier to sex by their head colour. Take a look at the photos below of the Fawn and Silver mutations.
 


In theory the Fawn Java should be fairly easy to sex as in most cases, the cock bird will have a darker head than that of the hen. The photo above shows a good example of the two different head colours. This is not a guaranteed method as I have known some Java's with head colours that are very similar to the hen pictured above, that have proven themselves to be cock birds by singing.

This method is not 100%, but it does have a high success rate when determining the sex of the fawn colour.

   


I believe that there is also a subtle difference in head colour on the Silver Java. Again, I don't believe this a 100% accurate technique as I have found more variants in the Silver colour than the Fawn.

The photo above shows two good examples of a true pair taken from my stud, you can clearly see a difference between the cock and hen.

 
 

Take a look at the Fawn and Silver Java's pictured above.

You will notice the difference in the width, length and overall colour of the beaks between the two sexes. All of the above birds are fit and in breeding condtion which really does help to make your decision between the two sexes.

Another observation I've made, as I've trawled through my vast archive of Java photo's, is a point I touched on towards the top of the page regarding the white shading on the upper and lower mandibles. I believe that the hen has more of this shading than the cock bird. Again, I think this is more applicable to birds that are in breeding condition, but I'm sure there is a difference.

Do you agree?.........Click Here and let me know if you have noticed the difference.

 
 
Many bird keepers swear by the method of using a needle and thread held over the belly of an unsexed bird. The idea is to keep your hand as still as possible and then observe the behaviour of the needle. If the needle swings back and forth….it’s a cock!! If the needle swings in a circle………..it’s a hen!!

I had a discussion on this method with a Java pal when I visited his aviaries to pick up some birds. He suggested that “it’s all in the mind” and your power of thought can persuade the needle and thread to behave however you want. He demonstrated this by getting me to hold the needle over the belly of a known cock bird. He then told me to think of nothing but "hen", oddly enough the needle began to circle as if it was a hen.You really have to concentrate on something completely different (e.g. listening to someone talking on the radio) to take your mind of the bird before the needle moves independently of your thought…even then this doesn’t guarantee accurate sexing.

A company in Scotland sell a sex indicator that is principally the same as a needle and thread. This is basically a lump of metal attached to a piece of cotton and costs around £10, I don't own one of these as I'm very sceptical about the product.

Having said all this, I have used a needle and thread on unsexed birds in the past just to see what percentage turn out to be accurate.The jury’s out!!!!

Tell me what you think on this method, do you think it works???? Or is it a waste of time??? Click here and let me know you thoughts.
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