spice and society mating?

[Kelly]

Hi all~

Just wondering if a spice and society finch would mate? They were together when I got them and I know for sure the society is a female but not sure about the spice. I just don't want to cross breed them. I have no nest in the quarantine cage so if I did find eggs I would toss them but when they finally go in the aviary do I need to worry?

Thanks

[Sally]

They are somewhat related, Spice finches are Lonchura punctulata, while Societies are Lunchura striata domestica, so I would imagine they could produce hybrids, perhaps even fertile hybrids.

[Sheather]

Spice and society finches are extremely closely related, they mesh very well into the same flock and speak the same language, so to speak. I found they would mate with one another freely, with male spice finches being particularly attracted to society ladies. The females were generally not that into spice males, but the spice finches didn't care and they were a bit of a bunch of society rapists some of the time... nobody got hurt of course, but I'm sure if I wasn't tossing eggs at the time I had everyone together, I'd have had a few hybrids come out of those nests.

Conversely, the male societies never expressed interest in the female spices.