Abstract: Sex determination was essential for the management,humanassisted
breeding,prevention and cure of genetic disease and evolutionary studies of birds,especially for endangered birds. In this paper,the traditional methods of sexing,including morphological and cytological methods,were recalled. Some advanced and reliable molecular sexing methods were summarized and analyzed,the results of comparison showed that a PCR test which is based on the CHDW gene was desirable one at present,due to its accuracy and simplicity，this method will be very perspective in application.

Key words: avian; sex identification; molecular biology