Gender change from male to female?

[Vestea]

I have 2 Rouen males kept together for a year. (Since they were hatched) i separated them from the flock because i already had a male with my girls. The two boys were happy together until a couple months ago when they started to fight. I split them up so they could see each other, but not do any harm while i found new homes for them.

Fast forward to this passed week. One of the males had drop most of his feathers and replaced them with female feathers. He is even supporting the eye stripe.

Two years ago one of my males became a female, which blew my mind. That's was after a raccoon had attacked. I read that it can happen, but did not see that a male can change to female


Maybe something in the water? I'm baffled and would love some advice. Thanks in advance for any info


* The picture in the pool is from last fall. The picture in the coop is from today

 

[nuthatched]

He might have had his dude parts injured so now he has less testosterone and looks like a female.

 

[Vestea]

He might have had his dude parts injured so now he has less testosterone and looks like a female.

That's possible. They were fighting for a few days before i separated them. Poor guy!!! Thanks!

 

[cheezenkwackers]

All drakes molt into eclipse plumage, which looks similar to a female, after breeding season. Yours is early though. Mine change in the summer. This is the same drake in breeding plumage and eclipse plumage.

 

[Canadian Wind]

All drakes molt into eclipse plumage, which looks similar to a female, after breeding season. Yours is early though. Mine change in the summer. This is the same drake in breeding plumage and eclipse plumage.
View attachment 3473144View attachment 3473145

Oh dear, that hen looks soooooooo happy he isn't pestering her anymore!

Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I agree eclipse plumage. This is natures way of making the drake blend in better when he doesn’t need his shiny bright drake colors to flash at the ladies.

 

[Vestea]

All drakes molt into eclipse plumage, which looks similar to a female, after breeding season. Yours is early though. Mine change in the summer. This is the same drake in breeding plumage and eclipse plumage.
View attachment 3473144View attachment 3473145

Yes. I thought this too, but starting second guessing when he went way passed any of my other drakes. I have 2 year olds that looked like females for winter, but their green is coming back in (not leaving, lol).

Seeing your drake with an eye stripe too puts this idea back on the table. It'll be interesting to watch him do his thing

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Yes. I thought this too, but starting second guessing when he went way passed any of my other drakes. I have 2 year olds that looked like females for winter, but their green is coming back in (not leaving, lol).

Seeing your drake with an eye stripe too puts this idea back on the table. It'll be interesting to watch him do his thing

I have had a drake that was in eclipse plumage for over a year. I have no idea why so long, but he is and has always been 100% drake actively fertilizing eggs the entire time.

 

[Vestea]

Oh dear, that hen looks soooooooo happy he isn't pestering her anymore!

Sorry, couldn't resist.

I thought the hen was the drake transformed. Lol

My girls outnumber their drake 9 to 1. At my house it's the male that goes crazy. He'll run around chasing one, then gets distracted by another and another until he just gets tired.

 

[Klutch]

Sunday, 4 January 2015​

Intersex birds (and their confusion with hybrids)​

intersex Mallard, Malmoe (Sweden), 27th December 2008 - copyright Carl Gunnar Gustavsson
(photo ID: 1029)

Introduction

Intersex birds can look so different from normal examples of the species that observers often wonder whether they are seeing a hybrid. Some particularly share plumage features with specific hybrids, so this confusion is unsurprising.

I won't go in to much detail about what intersex means (mainly because I am not competent to do so) but with birds (and presumably many other life-forms) it's basically when a female bird begins to develop male features. I understand that this effects the genitalia but it is visibly manifest through changes in the bird's external appearance.

It's generally pretty rare, but not hugely so, and a careful observer is likely to find intersex birds from time to time.


How the external appearance changes

More study/research is required to fully understand this, and to that end please contribute any insights or experience you have that might help. However, based on what we have seen so far it seems that intersex female birds start off looking like females and gradually develop male features. It seems that the majority of the bird's plumage will change (assuming the species is sexually dimorphic) before the bare parts change, so a significant clue to the fact that we are dealing with an intersex is plumage that has clear male traits while the bill remains female-like, such as with the Mallards shown here.



intersex Mallard (same bird as in photo ID 1029 above), Malmoe (Sweden), 27th December 2008 - copyright Carl Gunnar Gustavsson
(photo IDs: 1030-1031)




intersex Mallard, Utah Pond, Aurora (Colorado, USA), 16th January 2015 - copyright Cathy Sheeter
(photo IDs: 1825-1827)

The next bird is more advanced, showing only traces of brown on the head but still sporting a fully female-like bill.