Zebra Finch
Zebra Finch Pet Bird Profile
| Size | 3.9-4.3 inches (10-11 cm) |
| Origin | Australia |
| Color | Gray, orange |
| Lifespan | 6-12 years |
| Personality | Undemanding, adaptable, playful, likes to bathe, easy-going |
| How to keep them | At least in pairs (one of each gender) |
| Hand-tame bird |  |
| Talking bird | |
| Bird Noise |  |
Characteristics
Zebra finches are peaceful, lively, cheerful and social birds. Their melodies are so magical and varied that you spend all day with them, listening to their wonderful songs. When they’re not singing, they make cute little tweeting sounds. But zebra finches aren’t just popular for their singing. They’re also one of those bird species that are easy to keep. Their needs are easy to fulfil. That’s why they’re particularly popular among beginners.
Please note: If you’re looking for a bird you can pet, the zebra finch is not for you. With a lot of patience, time and luck, a zebra finch might hop onto your finger, but you could never call them hand-tame. They don’t like being touched. But it’s a lot of fun to watch these quirky pets flying and hopping around.
Behavior
Singing
Only male zebra finches sing beautiful melodies - and only during displays. The females listen and enjoy being the center of attention. But the females aren’t silent: both of them tweet, cheep and squeak, which is very cute indeed.
Are They Loud?
If you keep a flock of 10 to 20 animals, it will be loud! Zebra finches are actually very quiet souls, so a pair will never be annoying or too much.
Do They Talk?
No.
Appearance
Male or Female?
It’s pretty easy to work out if a zebra finch is male or female. The males have a narrow black band over the chest, a large red patch on the cheek and the zebra pattern on the neck - that’s where the name comes from. The females don’t have the zebra print or the colored cheeks.
How to Keep Them
Cage size: at least 40 x 20 x 20 inches (100 x 50 x 50 cm) (W x H x D) for two animals
Small birds = small cage? People often think so, but it’s not right. Zebra finches are very active, so need a lot of space to move around. The minimum measures stated above only apply when the birds are also let out of the cage to fly around for several hours a day. If you love your birds, you’ll get them a much bigger cage - or maybe even a small room all to themselves?
People often say that zebra finches manage well without flying time as long as they’re kept in a big cage. But that’s surely to make the owner’s life easy. ALL birds need to fly. Why else would they have wings? Imagine you were used to jogging a couple of miles every day. Running laps of the living room wouldn’t be enough for you, would it?
Zebra finches like ladders, swings and steps, and like to take baths. They don’t really like toys - so you can save your money.
Instead of keeping a male and a female, you can also keep two females or two males.
Fun Facts
Zebra finches come from Australia and from the Sunda Islands. They live in large flocks but stay away from the coast as they don’t like humid air.
