FINCHforum

Hey everybody, just wanted to ask yet another question! In your experience what species are housed together well?

There are so many variables, that it is difficult to give an exact answer. It depends on whether you are talking about cages, flights, or aviaries, and what size? Here is an article about compatibility with many species of finches, but keep in mind that each bird is an individual, and they haven't read the article! A bird from the passive species may be a holy terror, and a bird from the aggressive species may be a sweetheart. The charts and articles are a guide.

http://www.finchinfo.com/housing/compatible_species.php

This is for a flight. Also what species crossbreed as I DO NOT want this to happen, because even though hybrids are beautiful, I don't want them!

Many species actually can crossbreed. At www.finchinfo.com, in the Species section, each species has an area called Special Considerations, and that often tells what other species will crossbreed with that particular one.

Thanks Sally !

I would stay away from Cubans. Very pretty, but kills birds twice their size quite easily.

Thanks, I don't have any however.

In my experience I enjoy housing species together from the same areas/habitats. So to me an Australian flight/aviary with Stars, Shaft-tails, Gouldians, Owls, or any of the other Australian grassfinches with a pair of Diamond Doves to spend some time on the floor would be beautiful. Granted some of those species may hybridize but generally speaking when birds are paired and you don't have any oddballs left out the chances of that happening are quite slim.

But I'm the same way with my fish tanks. I prefer biotype tanks with plants and fish from the same region that would generally exist in the wild together.

Species generally won't hybridize if there is a female of it's own specie available. (Not true for Blue faced parrots)

Thanks everyone MariusStegmann Colt Sally .
I guess there shouldn't be a problem anymore because all my finches are paired.

Grainne, given the flight is large enough i would personally do a flight of mixed mannikins or waxbills. It's all in your personal preference though, it may take some experimenting though

Cool thanks!