Zebra Finch

## Description

The zebra finches are two species of estrildid finch in the genus Taeniopygia found in Australia and Indonesia. They are seed-eaters that travel in large flocks.

Previously, both species were classified as a single species, the zebra finch (T. guttata ). However, they were split by the IUCN Red List and BirdLife International in 2016. The International Ornithological Congress followed suit in 2022 based on studies noting differences in plumage, mtDNA divergence, and assortative mating between both species in captivity.

The zebra finch was first captured in 1801 during Nicolas Baudin's expedition to Australia. The Indonesian species was described in 1817 by Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot in his Nouveau Dictionnaire d'Histoire Naturelle, where he gave it the scientific name Fringilla guttata. The Australian species was then described in 1837 by John Gould as Amadina castanotis. Its current genus, Taeniopygia, was described in 1862 by Ludwig Reichenbach. It is placed in the tribe Poephilini, along with the genus Poephila, which it was previously included in; the split between Taeniopygia and Poephila is justified by a 1987 study using protein electrophoresis and chromosomal banding.

The zebra finches likely evolved in Australia, with either northern or southeastern Australia postulated as two places where the genus arose. The present-day distribution of the species T. guttata is likely due to a Pleistocene glaciation event where the sea level dropped between about 100 and 150 metres (330 and 490 ft), putting the coasts of Timor and Australia closer. This allowed T. castanotis swept out to sea by cyclones to see mountains near the west coast of Timor, which prompted them to make landfall on the island.

The morphological differences between the species include differences in size. T. guttata is smaller than T. castanotis. In addition, the T. guttata males do not have the fine barring found on the throat and upper breast and have smaller breast bands.

Although the Sunda zebra finch was described first, the Australian zebra finch is the far more famous member of the genus, due to its status as a popular pet as well as a model organism for the wider study of birds.

Zebra finches are more social than many migratory birds, generally traveling in small bands and sometimes gathering in larger groups. They are one of the bird species that is able to learn new vocalizations and have became a dominant model species in the study of vocal learning.There is evidence that some aspects of this are culturally transmitted and that the songs of geographically distant populations can change over time, resulting in new dialects. Research also shows that zebra finches hear and respond to variations in bird song that are not apparent to human listeners. Researchers are exploring analogies between human language and birdsong.

## Appearance

Zebra finches are the most common songbirds in Central Australia. Males have a colorful plumage consisting of white, black, gray, orange and brown colors; female Zebra finches are uniformly gray. Both sexes have red eyes and orange bill. Young birds are similar to females but their eyes are grey-brown and the bill is black.

## Distribution

Zebra finches are found in Central Australia and range over most of the continent, avoiding only the cool moist south and some areas of the tropical far north. They can also be found natively on Timor island. These small birds generally occur in more arid areas close to water. Within these areas, they are found in grasslands and savannahs with scattered trees and shrubs, and in open or grassy woodlands. They can also be found in cultivated areas, such as rice fields.

## Behavior

Zebra finches are social birds; they live and forage in flocks, although sometimes they may feed in pairs or singly. During the breeding season, small or medium-sized flocks are common, but outside of the breeding season, they gather in flocks of up to about 500 birds. Zebra finches are diurnal and generally forage on the ground but they also eat seeds on the heads of standing grass. To do this, they either fly and peck out seeds one at a time, or they perch on a nearby branch. They may also take the head to the ground by jumping up and seizing it with their bill or feet. In times of scarcity, Zebra finches can use their bill to dig into the ground to find a buried seed. Insects are usually caught in short flights from lookout perches. Zebra finches are loud and boisterous singers. Their calls can be a loud beep, meep, oi! or a-ha!. Their song is a few small beeps, leading up to a rhythmic song of varying complexity in males. Males begin to sing at puberty, while females lack a singing ability.

## Diet

Zebra finches are herbivores (granivores) and feed primarily on grass seeds. They supplement their diet with insects (mainly ants and termites) and flowers. The nestlings diet consists almost entirely of half-ripe and ripe seeds, in addition to green plant material.

## Reproduction

Zebra finches are monogamous and mate for life. They generally breed in loose colonies of up to 50 nests (although the number of individuals in a colony can be up to about 230 when breeding, and around 350 when not), but they may also nest solitarily. Nests are usually placed in a thorny shrub or tree, but also in cavities and ledges of commercial buildings. The breeding season usually occurs after rainfall. Zebra finches build both a roosting and breeding nest. The former is dome-shaped, has a large entrance on the side, and lacks an entrance tunnel. This nest helps the birds conserve body heat. The breeding nest has a small entrance followed by a tunnel, which conceals the contents of the nest, leading to the egg chamber; the latter two are separated by a raised lip, preventing eggs from rolling out. The female lays 2-8 white or pale greyish blue eggs which are incubated for 14 to 16 days by both parents. Chicks fledge about 17-18 days after hatching. They are able to feed themselves around 35 days after hatching, although they are still socially dependent on their parents during this time; Young zebra finches fledge about 17 to 18 days after hatching. They feed themselves by around 35 days after hatching, although they are still socially dependent on their parents during this time. The young become independent between 36-50 days after hatching and are ready to form pair bonds and breed when they get close to 80 days in age.

## opulation

### Population threats

There are no major threats to the Zebra finch at present.

### Population number

The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Zebra finch total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today remain stable.

### Ecological niche

Zebra finches help to disperse seeds of various plants they consume in their diet. These birds and their eggs also serve as a food item to local predators including tiger snakes, brown snakes, dragon lizards, pygmy mulga monitors, singing honeyeaters, yellow-throated miner, little crows, Torresian crows, black rats, house mice, and the barn owl.

## Fun Facts for Kids

Zebra finches are the most popular cage bird for more than 100 years!

The Zebra finch is one of the fastest maturing bird species recorded; young birds are ready to form pairs and breed at the age of 80 days!

Male Zebra finches make a hissing noise when they protect their territory and mates.

These small birds generally consume about 3 milliliters (0.11 imp fl oz; 0.10 US fl oz)) in water per day. When at a higher temperature of 40 °C (104 °F), they may drink from 6 to 12 milliliters (0.21 to 0.42 imp fl oz; 0.20 to 0.41 US fl oz) of water per day.

Due to the danger of predation, Zebra finches gather in flocks in a bush or tree near a waterhole, only going to drink after the group is large enough. They then only drink for a few seconds and after drinking, the birds generally bathe for around a minute. Then, they dry off and re-oil their plumage in a warm sheltered spot.

Zebra finches only need an average of 3.6 seconds to drink 1.5 milliliters (0.053 imp fl oz; 0.051 US fl oz) of water. This short amount of time per bout is achieved by these birds' drinking method. They swallow the water while their bill tip is still submerged, unlike most birds that bring their bill tip up to swallow.