How many do species of birds live in the U.K?

Can two similiar sized species be housed together?

• To make my situation clear; first off, I own seven birds- five of which are cockatiels. After about a year of research, I have been looking to add a Senegal parrot to my flock for a long time; thing is, I couldnt find a breeder or one for adoption close to my area. I was searching online a couple weeks ago and came across a breeder/bird store an hour away that just weened two Senegal babies. My situation; I have three occupied cages. One for my two parakeets, one large cage that currently houses my female tiel and her three two-month-old offspring, and a smaller tiel cage that houses my male, who was plucking the babies, thus why he is seperated. I also have another good sized cage at home that is empty, and a couple more in storage, so cage space isnt a problem. All my birds have regular vet check ups and are healthy. Two of the tiel babies are being given to my friend, and Im keeping the last one. After the two go to their new home, I am placing the father back in with the female, and putting the baby in a cage by herself (dont know if it is a male/female yet, though referring to it as female). She has been caged with other birds all her life, she hasnt developed any territorial issues, and it doesnt look like she will, though I know it may be too early to tell. Besides individually handling my birds, I let them all out of their cages for at least two hours a day, and they all socialize with each other. They have no issues with other birds when meeting them for the first time. The breeder/bird store; I read everything on the website, read the customer reviews on Facebook, and it sounds like a pretty reliable place. The Facebook profile is full of pics, and the store is roomy, has many cages and bird supplies, plus the many different birds they have are allowed to roam free and socialize with the other birds during store hours. They have avian specialists among their staff and also have a vet visit regularly. The Senegal I may purchase from them will have been socialized with many other types of birds ranging from cockatoos and macaws to parrotlets and parakeets. It will visit a vet within 48 hours of purchase, to confirm its health before I take it home and introduce it to the rest of the flock. It's housed with its sibling at the moment. I believe the store has more cockatiels than any other species, so it would definately be used to having tiels around. I know that was long, so thanks for reading. But I was wondering; is there a chance these two species could live together in the same cage, since both birds have been around many other species? Of course, I can house them seperately, but Im curious. I know they are about the same size, and can pretty much feed on the same diet. And yes, I know all about isolation when getting a new bird, and how they might bond to each other and not me and about all those other situations.

• Answer:

  It seems like you know quite a bit about birds, and you have a steady head on your shoulder regarding the possibility that the birds may not get along and could have to be separated. The problem I see, is that the Senegal Parrot is more the size of a Conure, not the size of a Parakeet or Cockatiel. Senegal Parrot- 23 cm, 120 to 170 g Parakeet- 18 cm, 30-40 g Cockatiel-12-13 inches (mostly tail), 90g So as you can see, the Senegal Parrot was significantly more! In fact, a Senegal Parrot weighs more then your average Conure. So no, I would not suggest housing the Senegal Parrot with another species, especially with the Senegal Parrot's weight being so significantly heavier then the other birds you have. The Senegal Parrot, also has a quite larger beak that could do quite a bit more damage then say your Cockatiel's. Since again, the Senegal's beak is around the size of a Conure, if not larger. Last but not least, your Cockatiels and Parakeets are much more submissive then an average Senegal Parrot. While the bird may have seen other Cockatiels, it does not mean the bird is friendly towards them at all. It would not be worth the risk, because if the Senegal Parrot did decide it didn't like one of your other birds it would only take a moment for him or her to severely injure if not kill one of your other birds. With the size difference, I would only introduce them in close contact (cages next to each other, sharing a treat, interacting outside the cage). Leaving them un-supervised at any point could have major consequences.