Although aesthetically pleasing to look at, such a mixed aviary is not necessarily the optimum breeding situation for most finches. However, if we recognise the threats to breeding productivity which the typical mixed aviary poses we can then thoughtfully consider numerous ways to maximise breeding outcomes within the mixed finch aviary.

In order to develop a management strategy to attempt to attain excellent breeding results in our aviaries I believe we first need to recognise the fact that the ideal breeding situation is only one pair of finches housed within each aviary. In this ideal the sole breeding pair has exclusive use of all the resources available within that aviary. They have sole access to freshly provided food items unfouled and uneaten by others. They have first choice of territory, nest sites and materials and are guaranteed uninterupted courtship, foraging, roosting, preening, and all other activity.

Basic logic dictates that when we introduce an extra pair of birds we then introduce the element of competition into every aspect of the birds' everyday activities and needs. Even the largest aviary is a closed environment with very finite resources. Every additional bird or pair of birds we introduce into the aviary escalates the degree of competition between the inhabitants for all of those limited resources. Competition itself is the main threat to breeding productivity in the mixed aviary. Minimising competition is the key to achieving the best possible breeding outcomes. We can examine almost every aspect of aviary management from the over-riding perspective of how to minimise competition. This is the way forward. Adopting this frame of mind and attempting to apply it to every aspect of finch breeding is crucial to achieving better breeding outcomes from the outset and also to minimising or eliminating many potential problems before they arise in the aviary.

The area of aviary management which most directly affects the level of competition is stocking the aviary. There are three vitally important aspects to the stocking of the aviary:

Now that we have our minds in competition-minimisation mode it is rational to expect that less breeding pairs per aviary is going to drastically reduce competition levels and therefore enhance breeding outcomes. Given the blatent obviousness of this point I am constantly frustrated that many finch breeders continue to habitually overstock their aviaries. Typically in such overstocked collections the most domesticated or boisterous species generally achieve acceptable breeding results whilst many of the rarer and more placid species struggle to attain any consistent breeding progress. Under the circumstances these results are not at all surprising.

On the other hand, the very best finch breeders I know invariably have sparsely stocked breeding aviaries and attribute much of their breeding success to having very few pairs sharing each aviary. This relationship cannot be overstated as I believe it is the most significant key to breeding success with finches. Put simply, less pairs per aviary = more young finches bred.

To maintain a low stocking rate throughout the entire season requires self-discipline. The temptation to add an extra pair of birds to an already established breeding aviary is often a strong one but this habit is likely to inhibit breeding performance in that aviary. I start my season with written plan of how I will stock each breeding aviary. If I introduce a new pair of birds during the season it is only after removing another pair which may have finished their breeding for the year or not produced the desired quality or quantity of offspring. I never exceed the number of pairs I initially stock the aviary with. My own stocking rate is either 5 or 6 pairs per aviary depending on the species mix. The breeding aviaries are quite large - 3.2m wide x 6.4m long x 2.4m high. For a species mix comprising mostly the more domesticated & easily bred species I use a 6 pair limit. For a mix largely comprising rarer and more challenging species I use the 5 pair per aviary limit.

Careful initial selection of the species to share the aviary is also an important contributor to minimising competition within the breeding aviary. There are various factors to consider in choosing a compatible mix of finch species.

The first stage in my species selection process is to group all the species I keep according to their temperament. I loosely divide them into 2 categories, placid and boisterous. I then decide on each aviary's species mix comprising either a group of the placid species or a group of the boisterous ones, not both together. Mixing placid and boisterous species together in the one aviary tilts the odds of breeding success exclusively in favour of the boisterous species and significantly hampers the breeding prospects of the more placid species. Generally, the boisterous species are better competitors as their temperament predisposes them to a greater chance of dominance in most competitive situations.

Examples of placid species are Painted Firetails, Orange-breasted Waxbills, Pictorella Munias, Ruddies (Red-billed Firefinches), Plum-headed Finches, Blue-capped Waxbills and Auroras. In the boisterous category I not only include aggressive or territorial species such as Rufous-backed Mannikins and Singing Finches but also extremely active species such as Red-faced and Blue-faced Parrotfinches. Even those species which use camping nests such as Diamond Firetails and the Poephila grassfinches (Long-tailed, Black-throated, Masked) are included in the boisterous category as their recently fledged young especially can be intrusive to other nests as they are often not fussy whose nest they roost in.

I generally house a placid mix in one aviary, a boisterous mix in the next aviary and so on as this not only segregates the roughies from the angels but also prevents a pair of a species being distracted by another pair of their kind in the adjoining aviary. With mesh partitions neighbourly rivalry can trigger aggressive behaviour and provide sexual distractions. Especially when pairing up new prospective breeding pairs housing the same species in adjoining aviaries can prevent the pairs bonding as you intended with sexual bonding with the neighbouring option often the outcome. If you must place new pairs into aviaries adjoining a pair of the same species I suggest placing the young pair next to already established mated pairs of the same species.

Within each of the placid and boisterous categories there are other factors to consider when making the species selections to further reduce the degree of competition in the aviary.

All finch species have evolved to suit the circumstances which prevail in their native range in the wild. Each species has their own instinctive preferences for certain favoured food items and feeding methods, nesting sites and breeding behaviours, and preferred habitat types based largely on the available resources and limitations of their wild habitat. These natural preferences translate to different species tending to occupy different niches within the aviary.

Some species prefer to forage, roost and nest on or near the ground whilst others prefer to occupy the higher parts of the aviary. Within a species' preferred nesting height certain strata are preferred as nesting sites. Different species may prefer tea-tree branches in which to build their nests (e.g. Cordon Bleus, Siskins, Melbas), others often choose wooden nest boxes (Parrotfinches, Gouldians) or woven enclosed cane nests (Orangebreasts, Ruddies), and some distinctly prefer growing grasses (Pictorellas, Plumheads) or shrubs (Redbrows) in which to nest. Similar species-specific preferences can also be identified in terms of diet and habitat. The key here is to identify a mix of species which have broadly dissimilar preferences to share an aviary. The onus is then on us as providers to ensure that these specific preferences can be accommodated within the aviary. Thus we are powerfully reducing the need for direct competition between our breeding pairs for their essential breeding needs.

Some groups of species tend to inhibit each other's breeding performance via common aggressive rivalries. Whilst not always the case, certain territorial species such as Cubans, Green Singers, Black-hooded Yellow Siskins and Saffron Finches (all predominantly yellow-plumaged species of boisterous/territorial temperament) generally do not mix well together and to do so often leads to serious aggression resulting in injury or death. Even if this most drastic outcome does not occur, generally the enhanced competition between such species has very negative effects on breeding performance of themselves and all other finches housed with them so housing such species together is a poor option. Similar problems often occur with "red aggressors" such as Crimson Finches or Grenadier Weavers housed with any other predominantly red-plumaged species - again certainly not always the case but best avoided if we are to minimise competition.

Another factor to consider is conflicting dietary needs. The best example of this is that Siskins generally require sunflower kernels and other oilseeds as a significant portion of their dry seed diet. Parrotfinches are also quite partial to sunflower kernels however the high fat content of sunflower soon causes obesity in Parrotfinches with a very negative affect on breeding performance through reduced breeding drive and poor fertility. The Siskins are not generally affected by obesity despite a very fatty seed diet. Accordingly I never mix Parrotfinches and Siskins in the same aviary (and never feed sunflower kernels to Parrotfinches).

A species choice to avoid is placing two species from the same genus in the same breeding aviary. To do so has two very significant negative consequences. The possibility of breeding hybrid offspring is very high - hybrids are genetic pollution of no value to anyone. The other consequence of mixing two related species is that they are likely to have very similar preferences for diet, habitat and nesting sites so competition is maximised and breeding output minimised as a consequence.

For the same reason I find single pairs of any species are nearly always more productive per pair than when the same species is housed in colonies. Pairs of the same species have identical preferences in all respects in addition to the massive burden of sexual competition in a colony. The competitive pressures within a colony of one species generally leads to the development of a strict heirachy in which the dominant pair may achieve acceptable breeding results usually at the expense of the more submissive pairs.

In order to further reduce competition in the breeding aviary it is absolutely imperative to regularly remove all non-breeding birds from the breeding enclosure. This issue highlights the importance of having good holding aviaries so that the breeding aviaries can remain the exclusive domain of breeding pairs and their dependent young. Independent young birds, spare adult birds whose partner may have succumbed or been removed and even breeding pairs of seasonal breeding species which are outside their breeding season all pose additional unnecessary competition to actively breeding pairs within the breeding aviary. These birds compete directly with the active breeders for the best foods which ideally are solely intended for the breeding birds and their dependent young. Spare unmated adult birds of any species in breeding aviaries increase the chances of producing hybrid offspring. Independent young can also be especially disruptive to the parents' later courtship and mating rituals, often actively disrupting the pair's attempts to copulate (just like human children) which adversely impacts on fertility, hence numbers of young subsequently produced.

The importance of good holding aviaries for keeping the competitive pressure off breeding aviaries bears reinforcement. If you already have established breeding aviaries and are considering building additional aviaries in the future, I strongly suggest to you to consider giving precedence to using them as holding aviaries rather than extra breeding aviaries. If well-managed, additional holding aviaries can result in far more extra young finches produced than if those aviaries were used as breeding aviaries such is the scope for improved productivity from existing breeding aviaries if the existing aviaries are at all overstocked. A decent set of holding aviaries also better provides for keeping independent young until they are fully coloured which is the only way to make real season-to-season progress in selectively improving the quality of any species bred by confidently retaining the best quality young as future breeders.

The seasonal routine we adopt to manage our finches can also have a large bearing on the productivity of our breeding pairs. This should be largely determined by the prevailing climate in your local region. In my locality Autumn and Spring are the peak breeding periods. For most species I allow my finches to breed between late February and mid December. After this period I remove all nesting sites and materials and significantly simplify the diet to dry seeds, grit, water and lebanese cucumber. This austerity period is very beneficial to the birds. By enforcing a rest from breeding activity for breeding pairs we significantly extend their useful breeding life and year-to-year breeding results are far more consistent than where the pairs are encouraged to breed all year. The austerity diet provided at this time also valuably serves to trim down any overweight birds and creates a natural hormone-induced breeding response once breeding diet and facilities are restored especially if timed to coincide with more ideal finch breeding weather. The austerity period also provides the ideal opportunity for us to clean up aviaries and take holidays at a time when feeding requirements are minimal for whoever looks after our birds while we are away. Many breeders also use a Winter austerity period to great advantage, especially in predominantly cooler regions.

There are several important aspects of constructing and fitting out a finch aviary which can help to minimise competition between its inhabitants. From the outset an obvious basic principle is that a greater area of aviary space per pair will result in less competition. This is identical to the aviary stocking issue of less pairs per aviary but we can also consider this point from an aviary construction and fit-out view to come up with some useful ideas.

When initially designing a suitable mixed finch aviary I am firmly of the opinion that extra aviary width is especially beneficial. An extra wide aviary particularly allows for territoriality with less adverse impact on the other pairs. Consider the typical fairly long and narrow aviary with most nesting sites situated at one end of the aviary. In this environment most or all of the aviary's prime nesting sites are located in close proximity to each other. If you have an especially territorial male diligently defending what he sees as his nesting territory for say a 1.5 to 2 metre radius around their nest which may include all available nesting sites, the consequences to the breeding performance of all other pairs sharing that aviary can be severe. This impact is much more extreme when the perceived territory of the dominant bird also encompasses the aviary's main feeding area. In such a well-defended territory the day to day lives of all other aviary occupants can easily become very miserable indeed. A wider aviary may allow such territorial individuals to maintain their own territory whilst leaving other nesting areas available on the other side of the aviary. Wide aviaries also provide better escape options for any persecuted birds allowing them to feel secure in some parts of the aviary.

The drastically improved exercise afforded by wide aviaries also has the significantly beneficial side-effect of greatly reducing the incidence of obesity which can be a crucial impediment to breeding success in some species. Best use of the whole length and width of the aviary for flight can be maximized by only providing perches in the corners of the aviary.

Many conventional finch aviaries have an enclosed section at one end in which all feeding and breeding facilities are provided and a more open and often featureless flight area adjoining the enclosed part. Consequently for the most of time the majority of the aviary's occupants are concentrated into the enclosed section. This intensifies competition in this area whilst much of the remaining aviary space is largely under-utilised. Alternatively, we can fully utilise all of the available flight area as a valuable additional foraging and nesting habitat by thoughtfully creating feeding and nesting areas within the flight section. For much of the time this ensures that the aviary population is more evenly dispersed throughout the entire aviary area thereby minimizing competition in any particular section of the aviary. To achieve this I sparsely plant out the flight section of my breeding aviaries with perennial seeding grasses which provide alternative nesting sites, seasonally available fresh seed heads and insect life for the birds to naturally forage for in and around the growing plants. I also peg and hang up grass seed heads, slices of Lebanese cucumber and large pieces of cuttlebone high at the front of my breeding aviaries to provide alternative feeding options to those provided in the rear enclosed section. Water bowls are also near the front of the flight section of the aviary. These measures in combination help to minimize competition in the breeding aviaries by dispersing the finch population fairly evenly throughout the full area of the enclosure.

In addition to being a valuable competition reducer by dispersing finch numbers more evenly at feeding times, the use of alternative feeding areas within an aviary can be further extended to better cater for the individual preferences of different species in their preferred aviary niches. As well as providing various food items at the front and rear of the aviary, feeding at different heights allows many species to feel more secure occupying their preferred strata within the aviary. Dishes of foods can be offered at ground level, on waist-high shelves and in high parts of the aviary thus catering to the special needs of terrestrial species, arboreal species and generalist species all within the one aviary.

Thus, the better we cater for the special needs of each species within our mixed aviary, the less directly they compete with one another. This applies to specific dietary needs or preferences as much as it does to nest sites and materials, aviary habitat or any other aspect of aviary management. So the implication to us as aviculturists is that the more we pay attention to detail in addressing all aspects of the needs of each species we keep, the better will be our breeding results. If you were after a simple answer as to how to easily achieve consistently impressive breeding results with a wide range of finch species, I'm very sorry but effort = reward. Having said that, if we thoughtfully combine as many of these ideas as we can to minimize competition as much as possible in our mixed finch aviary we are giving our finches in that aviary every chance of consistent breeding success.