Quick Tips and Information for Zebra Finches

Bird Name:

Zebra Finch

Latin Name:

Taeniopygia guttata

Status:

Least Concern

Scientific Classification:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Estrildidae

Genus: Taeniopygia

Species: T. guttata

General Information:

The Zebra Finch is also known as the Chestnut-eared Finch, the Shelley, and the Spotted-sided Finch. It is common across Australia, and has become widely kept for both research and aviculture.

Physical Description:

On average, it is about 3.9 inches long and weighs close to 17 g. The Zebra Finch has black and white tear-like stripes coming down below its eyes and reddish-brown ear patches on the sides of its head. Its upperparts are grayish-brown and its flanks are chestnut colored with white spots. There are thin black and white bars on its throat and the rump is white with a barred tail. The female doesn't have the reddish-brown ear patches, the stripes on the throat, or the spotted chestnut colored flanks of the male. Juveniles are similar in appearance to the female, but have black bills instead of the orange bills found on adult males and females. The differences between the aforementioned race, T.g. castanotis, and the other, T.g. guttata, are that the latter subspecies doesn't have the fine barring of the throat and are smaller in size.

Diet:

The Zebra Finch is primarily a seedeater, but is also known to feed on fruits and insects.

Habitat:

Due to its extensive distribution, the Zebra Finch can be found in a variety of habitats. It prefers open country, including grasslands and lightly timbered areas, but also occurs on the fringes of towns and cities. It is also common near farms. T.g. castanotis ranges across Australia, with the exception of western coastal regions and the island of Tasmania. T.g. guttata exists from Lombok in the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia to Sermata and the coastal areas of Australia. The Zebra Finch has also been introduced to Puerto Rico, Portugal, and the United States. Its nests are found in a variety of places, including cavities, scrubs, low trees, bushes, in termite hills, rabbit burrows, ledges of man-made structures, and even on the ground.

Reproduction:

The female lays an average clutch of 4 - 7 small white eggs. Both parents take responsibility for incubation, which lasts about 12 - 13 days. The young fledge approximately 18 - 21 days after hatching.

Tony Mandarich