Lavender Waxbills

There is much less agreement on what is a hen call than the pure two-phase, classic cock call

Where there is agreement.....
The hen call is described as being softer or quieter than the cock call.   It is a simple call

It isn't especially shrill.  The same simple call is repeated 2 to 4 times.   Note that hens call much less frequently than cocks

But what is the hen call?   It might not be a single call, it could be several calls

Variations can be caused by age, environment, paired or unpaired etc

Below is one call which turned out to be a hen.   It is from a young bird which might explain why it is somewhat slow and variable

In a long cage (6'), put 3 to 5 birds.   They simply must have rings which are clearly very different from each other even when viewing them from various angles and at a bit of a distance

Listen for the unambiguous, pure cock call - call 2.   Catch that bird, put on a (blue) ring, note the number and move him to a cage elsewhere

Personally, I like to have boys with a blue ring, girls with a pink for gender and a ring on the other leg to distinguish the individual bird

Wait for another cock to gain confidence and announce himself.   Change him to a blue ring or note number and move elsewhere.   Repeat

It often only takes hours or a day maximum for a new cock to sing.   A week would be maximum.   If get muddled calls, change the composition in the cage of 3 to 5 birds

At the end you have got only hens.   If unlucky you could end up with the odd timid or shy cock but that rarely happens

Then, pair confirmed cocks and probable hens.   Ideally, let each hen choose from a couple of cocks, but watch for fighting

An important and verified observation from Alice Mourisot

Birds as young as 6 weeks start teaching themselves to call.   This is probably one of the easiest times to determine their gender as they practice incessantly