Mixing bird species in an aviary

Mixing species- whether reptiles, birds, or something else- has long been a topic of controversial discussion in the pet keeping world. One of the most talked about attempts to cohabitate different species is in birds, so which of our feathered friends can be housed together, how we can do it safely and what else you need to know before taking the risk? The truth is, mixing birds (even with others of their own species) can quickly and easily become a dangerous situation, hence the importance of thorough research. This guide will explain all you need to know about planning, housing and maintaining a mixed collection.

So, how do you choose the right species? There are several considerations often overlooked by keepers looking to start a mixed aviary, most commonly location and diet, all of which are vital to the success of a harmonious collection.

Setting up-
Firstly, you’ll need to plan where you are going to house your birds, a small aviary in the back corner of the garden, a large cage in the living room or perhaps you’re looking at turning half your garden into an aviary (just like we did!). The best enclosure for mixing species is a large aviary. Unless you can dedicate an entire large room just to your birds, mixing species in an indoor environment can often lead to problems and is definitely not something I would recommend. Unfortunately, the majority of us can’t provide enough space in the home- as amazing as it would be- so we have to turn to our gardens and outdoor spaces. In all honesty, I would have to say that I prefer aviaries to bird cages any day: mixing species or not. Well designed and executed aviaries can become havens for our birds, allowing them the freedom of flight in a large area, the ability to allow natural behaviours and hundreds more benefits: but that’s for another blog! With any animal enclosure, bigger is better. When mixing species, it is especially important you provide your birds with the biggest area you can, even if it means sacrificing those prized rose bushes! Larger sizes allow your different species to escape each other should they need too, ensuring that everyone in the aviary remains safe. Our aviary is around 20 cubic metres (just over 700 cubic feet), and I would try to avoid mixing species in anything much smaller than that, particularly when considering bigger species.

The next step will be furnishing the aviary with perches, toys, and feeding & drinking stations. When it comes to feeding and watering, I would opt for a food source and a water source for each species (although when mixing different finch species, you could potentially have many species, so less of these areas would be fine). This will help to prevent disputes over territory and possession whilst providing enough food for all of your birds. In addition, perch space is incredibly important as without enough perches, squabbles will begin to break out over who gets access to them, leaving the loser only the mesh walls and the floor- not ideal! For budgie sized birds and below, I would recommend you provide a minimal 20cm (8 inches) of perch per bird. Whilst this may seem like a lot, it is essential that the birds have places they can comfortably rest. Also, it is worth noting that you should provide a number of different perch types to ensure optimum foot health: rope; natural branches and bamboo canes are my personal favourites.

Finally, you will need to give a range of hiding places, especially for allowing the smaller species to escape the larger species. In my opinion, the best way to do this is through the use of mature shrubs and bamboo, which also provide enrichment for your birds. Finches in particular will love this, as they can happily disappear into the shrubbery should the need arise. If you are mixing ground birds, (such as quail, pheasant, and partridge) it is advised that you provide them with a form of shelter, allowing them to scurry away from flighted birds- this could be a simple wooden hide, custom quail house or for a more naturalistic approach, low growing shrubs and ferns work great.

Choosing species-
In this section, I will discuss the main criteria for choosing the right species for your aviary, run through a couple of top tips and suggest some popular tried-and-true combinations. There are 5 vital factors associated with the mixing of species: beak size, diet, location, enclosure size and gender.

First, let's tackle beak size! Arguably one of the most important factors associated with cohabiting bird species, beak size is a vital consideration when planning your mixed avairy. The larger the beak, the more damage it can do, and the stronger it is, it really is that simple. This means that to ensure the safety of all the birds, only those with similar sized beaks should be kept together: you definitely wouldn't want to keep a Macaw or an Amazon with a Budgie or Zebra Finch, it would quickly become a murder scene. Beak shape could also make a difference, some birds have very different shaped beaks to others (eg. Passerines and Parrots) which is often due to their natural diet, another consideration we'll discuss later in the blog. For these reasons, it's best to keep birds of similarly sized beaks, such as budgies with finches. As a general rule, large birds are usually only housed with others of their species, so for the rest of this guide I'll be focusing on the smaller birds commonly housed communally.

Now let's look at diet, and how that could influence the birds you can keep together in your aviary. Feeding birds is important to get right to keep them in perfect health- chop, pellets and seeds are often all essential. Some birds have very different requirements to others, so you should house species that have similar dietary needs, or ensure that each species within the aviary is correctly catered for. That being said, most birds will pick and choose what they eat, and would be more than capable of picking their favourites from a mixed bowl. If you're wondering what chop is and how to make and store it, go to my guide here! You can find out more about your species' dietary requirements by doing plenty of research using a number of sources and care sheets. Birds from different countries are also likely to have differing diets, which links with the next consideration: location.

The locality of a species is something every keeper should consider when mixing birds. After all, species are far more likely to live harmoniously in an aviary environment if their wild counterparts do the same. Therefore, think about keeping birds from the same place, such as Australia, which has a number of bird species including Budgies, Zebra Finches and Cockatiels, many of which feed, fly, and live among one and other. It is also important to note that (especially) if keeping your birds in an indoor aviary, you should never mix New World (the Americas) and Old World (the rest of the world) species due to the dander produced by the Old World birds, which can harm the delicate respiratory systems of other birds. Additionally, by choosing birds from the same locality, you'll be able to theme decor and planting, creating a natural and enriching environment for your birds, and a paradise for both you and them to enjoy, what could be better?

Please note this is a picture of our aviary before it was furnished.

Enclosure size is, in my opinion, the deciding factor in what you can keep. Large aviaries, like those seen at zoos and Wildlife sanctuaries provide enough room for birds to easily escape each other and offer a much more natural setting, far more suited to housing a large variety of birds. Unfortunately our homes and gardens rarely present us with the space needed for such an aviary, let alone the funds! However, when mixing species size really does matter, you'll need a large enclosure with room for decor, perches and enough space for every individual to hide away from the others if they desire. As mentioned in the 'Setting Up' section at the top of the page, our aviary is abount 20 cubic feet, and even then I'd like it bigger! I believe that many aviaries are overstocked, and I would probably not want to house more than one (flighted) species in anything much smaller than our one, pictured above. Ensure that when keeping flighted and non-flighted birds together plenty of floorspace is provided, and regardless of what you are keeping, prioritise length and width of your aviary over height: birds don't fly like helicopters!

The final key thing to consider when choosing your birds is not only about species, but also which genders you get, and, I'm sorry ladies, but usually it's the females that cause the problems (suggested by our experiences, see below)! Females are often slightly larger, bolder and more territorial, especially during times of breeding. Males can also cause issues and it is quite often down to the individuals. Many finch species are docile and happy to breed and nest around other finches, but as soon as other species are brought in, fights over territory can begin. There are two easy way to solve this problem. Solution 1 is to carefully select the genders of the birds you keep, and try to prevent breeding in an aviary with more than one species. This can be done by simply not providing any suitable nest sites or boxes, although finches in particular are happy to build nests anywhere! The second possible solution is to provide plenty of different territories, separated by visual blocks such as shrubs and provide at least 2 extra nest boxes per species to prevent fights over nests and jealousy amongst pairs. In our experience with a variety of species kept together, budgies are usually the most aggressive to other birds, although they can also be brilliant candidates for a non-breeding mixed aviary. A more detailed account on our successes, failures and the possible dangers can be seen in the final section of this guide.

Birds and other animals?

In general, it is best not to keep birds with other animals due to disease transition, increased likelihood of injury and a number of other factors. Whilst their are reports of birds being kept with rabbits, guinea pigs and tortoises- with some website articles even encouraging this- it often doesn't end well. Either species could be seriously injured by the other and birds are incredibly messy, and won't care about pooping all across your mammals or tortoises in the base  which could lead to infection and a generally rubbish life; you wouldn't want it. If you still want to mix your birds with other animals in an aviary environment, despite the recommendation that you do not, never mix large parrots with other animals as this will almost certainly end in a lot of blood, and possibly death.

Dangers of mixing species and our experiences-

Let's start with our successful combinations! Since our first aviary, we've evolved to create larger, better aviaries and a greater array of species. Here are the groups we have kept together, more often than not without much trouble. Highlighted in red are birds that have caused us issues, although every bird has a different personality and a different level of tolerance, which may differ to the experiences of others.

As you can see, most of our combinations feature species from similar locations and similar dietary requirements, however this hasn't always worked out favorably for us, as seen with the highlighted species. After keeping the Red Rump Parakets in a separate aviary for over a year, we decided with the construction of our new aviary that we would house them with our other birds permanently after a short trial period in which we would closely monitor them. Unfortunately, injures followed, but unexpectedly these were inflicted between our pair. After observations and a lot of thinking, we arrived at the conclusion that their aggression was caused by jealousy, which stemmed from the finches attempts to nest. We later rehomed them, bringing back harmony to the aviary. More recently we introduced a new female budgie to our lone male, which soon led to new problems. Our finches had once again found a place to try and breed, and our new female decided to attack in a fit of jealously, which led to the loss of one of our pairs. Upon closer inspection of the nest, we found 3 alive chicks, which we decided to attempt to hand rear. Sadly the trio didn't survive and our budgies were rehomed to a budgie only avairy of a family member. Luckily, these are the worst and only incidences we have ever had, although they perfectly highlight the very real dangers associated with mixing species.

As our aviary continues to evolve in the future, I will add to the guide allowing  you to better understand some combinations perfect for your aviary. Finally, I would like to reiterate that every bird is different and what works for us may not work for you, so please take into account the risk you are taking and carefully plan and observe your aviary. 

Disclaimer- Ali's Menagerie accepts no responsibility for any issues caused by following the guidance in this blog. Mixing species can be dangerous if not correctly planned and carried out, and every bird and every species reacts differently. I would highly recommend taking your proposed list of species to someone who keeps a similar collection together and get their vital experience from doing it first-hand. Furthermore, this guide is not a substitute for your own careful planning.