I was wondering what you opinions are on different species interacting. Lucy and Echo both get along very well and I'm so happy for that. However, I recieved a very distrubing email telling me that this was very unnatural and that this may harm birds' natural ways of thinking. I was quite upset at the fact that many people agreed with the email and that I felt as though I should not be letting my two birds play with one another. What is your take on this? How do you feel with letting birds of different species interact with one another?

Ok who ever is e-mailing you saying these things must not know birds very well !!
If your birds decide to bond even being different species there is nothing wrong with that,What matters is if your birds are happy. I think its great they get along . what are you suppose to do say omg they are different we better not let them play together? That's a bunch of garbage. I have a lovebird who hangs out with my lories.
let your birds enjoy each other !

I've never heard anything about interaction among different species harming their "natural way of thinking." What about them living with us is "natural" anyways??

I would just be concerned about physical injuries, and that can even happen with birds of the same species. You take a bigger risk when there is a size difference, but Lucy and Echo are probably nearly identical in size, and if they're best buds I just don't see an issue. I would never cage them together, and I'd probably always supervise 'together time,' but I just can't see it doing any more psychological harm than keeping them caged does. I would also think that having a bird buddy, regardless of species, would be good for them.

Didn't see your reply first Barb- glad our opinions are the same!

I am believer of birds having buddies preferably the same species but if the size is similar there is no harm in friendships.

I agree with the other's comments here. Our birds all have time out to play together and they choose which bird they want to "hang out" with. They definately appear happy about that. The size is a concern, and IMO it is necessary to supervise any group of birds when they are out playing for their safety.

Of course it is always better for birds to interact as they would in the wild, which for most social species means with a mate, primarily, and a flock, secondarily, both of their own species and chosen by themselves. Interspecies bonding happens only in captivity and it is not a natural state of things no matter how we look at it. But I think it's better for a bird to bond with another bird, even if it's not of the same species, than to be by his lonesome.

The problem with ekkies is that females are very, very aggressive once they reach sexual frustration (depends on how she is kept but it usually happens from 7 to 10 years of age) and that they don't just go for the warning nip as other species would but for the kill. There is, therefore, a risk when one allows them to interact with a mild species (as Grays are) because one never really knows when they are going to 'snap'. The other problem with ekkies is that the sexes don't hang out together in the wild. Females hang out and forage with females and males hang out and forage with males and they only get together to roost and breed. That might be the two reasons why they told you this. Personally, I agree with them and would not risk putting a female ekkie with any other bird. The only bird I had that killed was a female ekkie.

Just keep an eye on them,since they are bonded they will probly stay bonded and be friends.My Ekkie I had here who was 17 yrs old was bonded to a conure,and did great together and were adopted out together. I have a goffin who is bonded to a pionus. What matters is if your bird is happy,who cares if they are different species.There is no one in the wild saying oh you are different species you can't be together,Look at the growing numbers of hybred macaws in the wild.There are now flocks of Harlequins which are hybreds.
Just never leave your birds alone together and keep them in seperate cages at night.

Dom, I have a yellow naped amazon and an umbrella cockatoo that are good friends and like to hang out together. I've not tried to stop it. Both are fully flighted and each can easily escape from the other if a squabble should break out. I have no experience with female ekkies so can't address the agression issues raised here. I do recall reading once that greys generally are not accepting of other species but can't remember where I saw that.

Am I the only one who finds this subject ironic? Someone worries about the bird's mental state interacting with a "bird" of another species? Most of the birds under discussion here are pets and their primary interaction is with a human being--which is certainly a different species!