I asked about this from someone who always gives wonderful
information on another board, this is the answer:
Canaries are a species of finch, but it's unlikey that a canary and
a specific type of finch could produce a chick. I was a little
wrong, it is possible for canaries and SOME species of finch to
produce a hybrid, but the chick will be infertile, just like a
mule. I would imagine that European and African finch species would
stand a better chance than the American, Asian or Australian
Finches.
Canaries are a part of the "Carduelinae" subfamily of finches- like
most finches. I would suspect that it might be possible for a
canary to produce a hybrid with another species within this
subfamily.
However, male canaries can be very very aggressive so if her canary
is a male, it's entirely possible that he will kill the hen and any
chicks that they might produce. Like with most birds, there's no
guarantee that the two will pair up even if they are forced into
the same cage. Canaries are pretty solitary birds, unlike other
types of finches. I think that the hens are more laid-back and
accepting of neighbors than the males are.
I would tell her that the very best solution is to keep them in
separate cages and get a second finch (of the same species as her
male finch) and put them in a cage together. If that is not
possible, then put the canary hen and finch together and see what
happens. She should be very careful, however, and watch for any
signs of aggression.
Tammy
On 7/10/07, KittyJ wrote:
> A canary is a finch though.. and no you shouldnt house the two
> as pair. The regular finch needs a mate or either sex of its own
> specie, and the canary can be there with them if needed. And
> cage should be big enough that its not merly hopping from one
> perch to another...
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