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The Zebra Finch has been called the most popular bird in
aviculture. The Zebra Finch is one of the heartiest finches, making it a
good choice for beginners and experts alike. He possesses a cheerful happy
disposition, yet Zebra Finches are fairly shy around people, they do not
like to be held or pet like some other bird species. There are always
exceptions to this rule, however, if you are looking for a pet bird you can
hold you should probably not buy a Zebra Finch. Because they are social
creatures, it is recommended that they be kept in pairs. One of the
Hallmarks of this breed is his chirping song. It should be noted that males
are typically superior in singing ability to females. Some females will
never sing at all. If treated with hormones after hatching females can be
altered to sing much as males. The Zebra Finch is a highly active bird, and
it is recommended he be allowed plenty of space within his cage or indoor
aviary to fly freely. This space should never fall below 18-20 inches
square.
The Zebra Finch is colorful and quite lovely to behold. There
are several
 different color variations for the Zebra Finch including white,
white-gray, milk chocolate, silver, and fawn. All of these color varieties
can occur with pied markings as well. Males and females can be easily
distinguished by the color of their beaks. Females exhibit orange beaks
while the male's beak is red. Males also show black chest stripes, chestnut
flanks and ear patches and bright orange cheek spots, females usually lack
these markings. In addition the female is usually significantly duller than
the male. Some color mutations may produce males and females which exhibit
the same color patterns, but one can always rely on the differences in beak
coloring to make distinctions. One of the most beautiful Zebra Finches is
the crested Zebra Finch, which comes in two color varieties. The Zebra Finch
is very small averaging only 9cm at maturity. Because of their high energy
it is particularly important to maintain a healthy diet consisting of fresh
seed mixes (with a variety of different seeds), millet, dried or fresh
greens, and other low fat fresh foods. Food supplements such as petamine and
nestling foods are a must when molting, breeding or under any other stress. Many also recommend a regular dietary supplement of minerals and vitamins as
well. Cuttlebones or mineral blocks are also important to providing
Zebra Finches with additional calcium, which is very important to breeding
hens.
The Zebra Finch originates in Australia. They wild Zebra Finch
is commonly seen in Australia's grasslands. Today Australia prohibits the
exportation of most animals, hence most of the Zebra Finches you see around
the world were captive bred outside of their native country. The wild Zebra
Finch is a social bird typically seen traveling in large flocks. The diet of
the wild finches consists of fresh foods and bugs. |
