Can a parakeet mate sucsessfully with another species of bird, say a sparrow?
There are several closely related species of true parakeet that are able to cross. However parakeets like the Psittacula are in the true parrot family Psittacidae. While sparrows like the genus Spizella are in the family Emberizidae. There is no way there could be a cross between any parrot and any sparrow since they are from different families of birds not just different genus of birds. However some parrots can cross with parrots and some sparrows with sparrows when in the same genus. Ring-necked parakeets and Alexandrine parakeets are the most common hybrids. These crosses, unlike horse x donkey crosses, are not always infertile. Breeding for color variations is done with captive birds that would not normally meet and mate in the wild. But all such crosses that succeed are done between birds in a single genus. http://home.wanadoo.nl/psittaculaworld/M… Macaw hybrids
