Zebra Finches

Family

Estrildidae

Scientific Name

Taeniopygia guttata

Basic Animal Group

Birds

Diet

Herbivores

Length

~10-11cm

Weight

~15-30g

Wingspan

~33cm

Incubation Period

~12-16 days

Clutch

~2-3 clutches/year
~4-6 eggs/clutch

Origin

Australia

Lifespan

~5-10 years

Characteristics

zebra finch, isolated on white background with clipping path, taeniopygia guttata

Fun Facts

  1. The males start singing 35 days from birth, however the females never do so.
  2. Normally they continue to breed with the same partner year after year (monogamous).
  3. In less than four seconds they are capable of drinking 1.5ml of water. They drink so fast due to the method they use by swallowing water while their beak is still in the water.
  4. One of the fastest birds to reach maturity. In fact they can breed at 70-80 days.
  5. They are called zebras because of their white and black stripes on their chest and sometimes also on their tail like the zebra mammals.