by Alex Waterman
Science Center Volunteer
We have 4 zebra finches in the Science Center, two males and two females.
Because of the cheerful beeping noises that they make, we call them The Beeper Family.
Scientific name: Taeniopygia guttata
Habitat: Zebra finches inhabit a wide range of grasslands and forests, usually close to water. They're distributed over much of Australia and the Lesser Sunda Islands (Nusa Tenggara), which are northwest of Australia.
Diet: like most estrildid finches, they're primarily seed-eating birds, preferring millet, but they'll also eat egg food.
Life Cycle: The zebra finch can reach up to five years in its natural environment. If they are kept caged, they normally live for 5 to 9 years but may live as long as 12 years.
Activity: zebra finches are diurnal.
Other interesting facts:
- It has two subspecies, the Teniopygia guttata guttata (Timor zebra finch) and the Taeniopygia guttata castanotis.
- 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.
- Each male's song is different, although birds of the same bloodline will exhibit similarities, and all finches will overlay their own uniqueness onto a common rhymic framework.
- Sons generally learn the song of their fathers with little variation. Songs may change during puberty, but afterwards they are locked in for the life of the bird.
- Scientific research at Japan's RIKEN institute has suggested that singing to females is an emotionally rewrding experience for male zebra finches.
- Female zebra finches can't sing.
- The male zebra finch produces estrogen, which is transformed into a testosterone-like hormone in the brain, which in turn leads to the development of the nervous system for a song system. Their songs begin as a few disjointed sounds, but as they experiment, they match what they sing to the memory of their fathers' song, and they rapidly mature into full-fledged songs.
Mr. Beeper, the Science Center's Male Zebra Finch