Aussie Finch Forum

I introduced a pair of Ruddies to the aviary on the weekend and the male Orange breast has made friends with the female Ruddy. Is it possible they might cross breed?

i've never heard of such. theoretically species only cross with other animals of the same genus, and orangebreasts readily cross with other avadavats (red and green strawberries).

likewise parrotfinches cross readily with other parrotfinches and mannikins with other mannikins.

thats said this rule is often proved wrong, with some very odd hybrids produced.

I have found that my lonely Ruddie cock is also hanging out with the pair of Orange breasteds.
So I hope it is just that finches are flock birds and if we are going to insist on keeping them in pairs they will form their own flocks of similar size finches.
Well thats my guess for what its worth.
LML

mine are in the same aviary and have never shown any interest in the other species.
I do make sure though that I always have a pair of each in there, or a trio if the male seems willing to be henpecked more than normal

I hope they dont, I have a pair of goldbreasts in quarantine at the moment, they will be going into the main aviary with a pair and a spare male of ruddies.

I have seen pics of hybrids of gouldian x parrot finch.

It's unlikely that they'll cross-breed, but it's certainly within the realms of possibility. Much more distantly-related species have done so.
When I had them, I found a lot of the African waxbills would indulge in inter-species cuddling and preening - particularly my cordons and fire finches. It wasn't sexual, they're just happy to socialise.

This is a photo I took a couple of weeks ago in the wild about 4 klms outside of Wyndham W.A. showing how different types of finches like to stick together even in the wild..If this works I will show you some others later

i have a strawberry cock that was quarantined in a cage with a spare cordon. the two were eventually returned to the aviary where they joined another lone cordon cock. they have formed this inseparable little threesome. they sleep together, preen eachother, perch together etc. oddly i recently added a hen strawberry to the mix and the cordons instantly tried to mate with it!

gouldians cross with parrotfinches because (from what i have read) they are themselves a type of parrotfinch.

my orangebreats (2pr) and ruddies (3pr) show no sexual interest in eachother at all and don't even really have any physical contact bar the occasional "get away from my nest" mock fight.

southy wrote:

This is a photo I took a couple of weeks ago in the wild about 4 klms outside of Wyndham W.A. showing how different types of finches like to stick together even in the wild..If this works I will show you some others later

Great pic!

I have Orange-Breasts & Rudddies in together and have not had a problem. I did read in Qld Finch Breeders Handbook that the author of the section on Ruddies had heard of Orange-Breasts and Ruddies producing young, if the Ruddy had no mate.