About the Zebra Finch

The zebra finch is a small Australian bird related to sparrows and thrushes. It is a colorful songbird, which, for its looks and song, is commonly domesticated as a pet. The birds are sociable and can be trained to eat from the hand. Zebra finches are easy to tame if training begins from a young age.

  1. Description

    • The zebra finch is a small bird species. It grows to 4 to 4.5 inches in height and weighs around one-half ounce, on average. It is mainly gray in color with black and white zebra-like stripes on the rump and tail feathers. Female birds tend to be less colorful than the males. Both sexes have chestnut-colored patches on the sides with white spots. The males have reddish chestnut markings on the cheeks. Both males and females have red eyes and beaks.

    Habitat and Range

    • The birds live throughout most of Australia, except for the more coastal regions, and have also been introduced to parts of Indonesia. Zebra finches live in large flocks in the wild of up to 100 birds. They live in a variety of habitats including sparse woodlands, grasslands and desert regions. The birds are also common in areas that have been cleared of trees and vegetation for human commercial purposes.

    Diet and Predators

    • The beaks of zebra finches are adapted to de-husk a variety of seed types that make up the bulk of the bird's diet. Fruit and vegetables are also included in the bird's diets, but to a far lesser degree. The birds do also eat insects but this is mainly during the mating season in order to help produce healthy young. The eggs of zebra finches are often at risk from small mammals. The birds themselves are common prey for a range of small carnivorous marsupials, snakes and birds of prey.

    Life Cycle

    • The birds can breed year-round but breeding is most common after periods of high volume rainfall. Pairs of zebra finches mate for life, but infidelity does occur occasionally. The average clutch of eggs is four to six, which both parents take turns incubating. Both the male and female feed the chicks and protect the nest from predators. The chicks are ready to leave the nest after around five weeks. In the wild the finches live up to two to three years but can survive up to 12 in captivity.