They are very active little chatterboxes. Zebra's are part of the Estrilididae family, and are about 4 inches long. Their original colors for the males are grey head with chestnut ear patches and black and white tear stripes, back and wings are greyish brown, a white rump that merges into a striped tail. Fine black and white barring on the chest with a white abdomen, the flanks chestnut with white spots. The beak is red.
Females are the same except the breast and abdomen are a pale buff and the beak is reddish orange.
There are numerous color mutations, some of the more available mutations are fawn, pied, white, black-cheeked and crested. Being active little birds, Zebras need a lot of room. If you have more than one pair consider housing them in an aviary. If your aviary is outdoors, they will climatize to temperatures from 45 - 85 degrees F., but provide a shelter for bad weather. However, a long flight cage will do quite well for a pair.