SEX AND AGE DETERMINATION 



METHOD OF EXAMINATION OF THE CLOACA 



It is not neces- 

 sary to dissect the Bur5a _/^T\ /JK /"""^rBursa 

 specimen to exam- *" 

 ine the cloaca. The 



bird is held belly lntestme ^^--/ Y^Y V ^^testine 

 up, with the tail Penis^- *Ws^ 

 away, and the vent Juvenile Male 



is relaxed with the 



fingers to expose ^^JSjF* 11 * 



the cloacal cham- ^7/\ \ / /^ "Vlntestine 



ber. (If the vent 

 has dried, it may Perns, 

 have to be opened in sheath \^-^/' I } V^~ -^Oviduct 



with a probe.) 1 /^T 



Adult Male Adult Female 



THE MALE PENIS. 



If the speci- 

 men is a male, the short penis of the juvenile (described above) or the 

 large sheathed penis of the adult (described above) will protrude. See 

 fig. 29. If there is no immediate protrusion of the penis, the forewall of 

 the cloaca must be brought into view, for the juvenile penis may be held 

 in the folds of the cloaca, and the bird mistaken for a female. A skilled 

 hand will bring about the protrusion of the penis in a few seconds. 



THE FEMALE OVIDUCT. 



The specimen is a female, if the penis character is lacking. It is an 

 adult female if the opening of the oviduct shows as a conspicuous slit 

 on the left cloacal wall. See fig. 29. It is a juvenile female if the left 

 cloacal wall is unbroken due to a membranous covering over the open- 

 ing of the oviduct. 



THE JUVENILE BURSA. 



If the bird is a juvenile of either sex, the opening of the bursa 

 will be seen towards the tail from the opening of the large intestine; 

 the bursa opening will be large and clearly visible. See fig. 29. The 

 depth of the bursa may be felt by the insertion of a probe, such as a 

 quill feather. If the bird is an adult the opening of the bursa will be 

 absent, though in some yearling birds a small blind opening or a scar 

 will be found. 



The bursa furnishes corroboratory evidence of the age of a female 

 specimen. It is not of such value in deciding the age of male birds as 

 the penis character is usually sufficient. 



The method of examination of the cloaca, given above, applies 

 only to dead birds. Hochbaum (1942) deals fully with sex and age 

 identification by cloacal examination, and describes in detail the tech- 

 nique of the examination of both living and dead birds. (Mr. Hoch- 

 baum's assistance in the preparation of this section is gratefully ac- 

 knowledged by the author.) 



