Natural Hybrids occur in nature all the time. In fact many Australian Grass Finches cross very regularly. EG. Longtails & Blackthroats – Maked & White-eared Masked, Double bars & Zebra Finches etc. However many do not survive to become fertile breeders, and because of the relatively large and diverse gene pools in the wild these hybrid are quickly absorbed back into the main species.
In aviculture the opposite can be said. Because of a small gene pool of very limited species and individuals every hybrid in captivity is one step close to losing a species all together.
Whilst I understand the argument of deliberately crossing species to save a species I do not condone it, nor agree with it. A good example is the Blue-Breasted Cordon Bleu. When it was realised that this species was on the way out many breeders started crossing BBCB cockbirds with Red-Cheeked CB hens. So what happened? Well, the BBCB died out! It is now extinct in Australia and what was left was a lot of hybrid hens that are now passed off as Red-Cheecked CB hens. So all this did was sully the existing gene pool of RCCB and did nothing to stop the decline in BBCB.
This same lunacy is going on right now with Redheaded Finches (Aberdeens) and Cut-throats, with Blue Caps and RCCB hens and Red-Faced Pytilia and Aurora hens. So like it or not we are more than likely to lose all 3 species and all we will have to show for it is a mixed and muddied gene pool of those species that remain.
Rather than trying to hybridised species to save them, why don’t breeders join forces and perfect their husbandry skills. This is the only way we even have a chance of saving a species.
Again, a good example of this is the work Ray & Wendy Lowe did with Mike Fidler in respect to Peter’s Twinspots. This team work tireless, observing, swapping and finally breeding these finches. They did not stop until they “cracked” the puzzle of keeping and breeding Peter’s Twinspots. The Lowes now have all of the original stock (Mike gave all his birds to them as they were more successful) and now the Lowes are breeding these birds in good numbers, and selling them at HALF PRICE – just to try and make them more available to more breeders. Even at half price they are still $1500. This is because it was thought that only serious and dedicated breeders would buy them at this price and therefore have a better chance of breeding them – rather than just “keeping” them.
This may be hard for some of you to understand, but I would rather lose a species than deliberately hybridise it. Let’s face it, you are not saving it anyway, you are creating a new hybrid sub-species. I would like to think that for every species we lose it may inspire breeders to take it all more serious and tighten up their finch breeding skills! We have seen this in Germany, the UK and New Zealand. As soon as live imports from wild birds were banned they had 2 options – save what they had left or go into budgies! Luckily most decided to hone their breeding skills and now things are looking up for them.
So what I am trying to say is – hybrids in nature are no big deal and will always happen, but hybrids in captivity can NEVER be justified in my opinion.
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If at all possible breed pure. 
But if the alternative is let them die out? 
I think I would be trying the hybridizing and try and re-draw the seperate types when suffiecient stock is available. 
Remembering not to be too hasty, cause someone might have something stached away. 
