The Zebra finch is a good selection for a beginning bird pet owner because they’re one of the easiest birds to take care of and breed if you opt to do that.
As well as being one of the most popular cage birds, Zebra finches are cheap, hardy, beautiful, happy and active with a standard life of 7-10 years.
With their happy disposition and social nature, you find them active and busy singing and flying around their cages. They do well with other birds because of their social behavior and the cage must be big enough so that they are able to fly without any swings in their way.
In their natural home they were most usually found in grassy or brush lands, open areas, pastures or fields and are ordinarily called a hardy variety of grass finch.
The Zebra finch comes in many types of colors and patterns which makes it fun to pick out and put together.
The chest of the male finch has black and white stripes and that is felt to be how they got their name. The male Zebra finch also has orange-ish or chestnut sides with white spots. Customarily they have red/orange beaks and legs, a white belly, gray wings and shoulders and chest, a patch on their cheeks and a tear drop shaped marking under the eyes, which can be tan, brown, fawn or orange.
The females have similiar coloring on the upper body and wings that are grayish, with a white belly. Their beaks and legs are not as brilliant in color as the males. The females also have a tear drop under their eyes, except the females spots are black.
Some of the other varieties of Zebra Finches are the Lightback, the Black Breasted, Orange Breasted, Pied, Flanked White, Chestnut, Black Cheek. And Fawn.
Zebra Finches make great simple to care for pets and are a pleasure to watch with their social interplay with the other birds in the cage and their happy dispositions.
Definitely a pet to think about when you are at the pet shop looking next time.
Marjorie J McDonald has written a great book concerning how to pick out and look after your finches as your new pets. Caring for Finches is easy to do with this information about how to be a better Finch parent.