Talk:Australian zebra finch

Photo - How Do I Add One, and Should I?

I have a photo I took that has both a male and a female in it (a mating pair that we own; no cage bars in the picture though, because we keep them in an outdoor aviary). I was thinking of adding it to the section on breeding. Would anyone object? If not, then how do I add a photo? --Runa27 02:00, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

I object. You should put the picture in the main section that talks about zebra finches —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.201.211.234 (talk • contribs)

I agree that the picture should be put in the main section. unsigned

Misc.

finches are very fragile birds they can easily die of a heart attack if you hold them with warm hands.They need plenty of flying room and they need fresh food and water. They mostly fly about in flocks and lay 6 -12 eggs in the warm season and they should hatch between 10-12 days. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.84.122.132 (talk • contribs)

Actually Zebra finches are very hardy birds. 69.232.46.20 00:30, 10 September 2006 (UTC)

Zebra lifespan?

Does anyone know the lifespan of a domesticated Zebra finch? I am curious because I have had five or six of these finches, and they seem to have a rather hearty lifespan for such a small bird: 9-13 years in my experience. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.59.155.91 (talk • contribs)

Hi. Yes, there should definately be something about the lifespan of this bird in an encyclopedia article, both in the wild and in domestication. There really needs to be more written about the animal in the wild, in general... Stevenmitchell 16:55, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Picture caption

I think the caption on the picture is misleading, as those are two males. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.232.38.116 (talk • contribs)

Actually, they are not two males, but rather a male and female; probably Grey Cheeked or Fawn Cheeked. See [1]. --Frank Sundgaard Nielsen 22:05, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Article sounds like a How-To

Encyclopedia articles do hold information, but they don't sound like a guide, a how-to, or a FAQ. Article needs some major improvements on the tone. Abby724 02:12, 11 October 2006 (UTC)

At what point is it recomended to remone young from the cage?Fatherwolf48 19:06, 28 March 2007 (UTC)Fatherwolf48

Are they good eating? VanBrigglePottery 06:32, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

Undid edits by 207.58.212.246

I undid two edits by 207.58.212.246. It appears that this person decided that adding two dots to the end of sentences was grammatically correct. Duskglow 19:08, 4 August 2007 (UTC)

Lifespan of Zebra?

The Article needs to have some information on zebra lifespan--in captivity and in the wild. I have a male Grey who is now about 14 years old, and it's begnning to frighten me as to his remarkable health; his beak is curling over and irregular, and his nails have long since curled, but he beeps and chirps all day long, hops around, and has a healthy appetite. --75.175.60.108 (talk) 01:16, 20 December 2007 (UTC)

New pic of zebra finch chick?

I have some more detailed photos of zebra finch chicks, and am asking for feedback whether it should replace the existing image in the "Zebra Finch Breeding" section. The suggested replacement images shows much more detail of the chick's feathers/colours.

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  existing image
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  suggested replacement image #1
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  suggested replacement image #2

Martybugs (talk) 10:08, 11 February 2008 (UTC)

Lifespan

I had originally included in the article that Zebras may reach 12 to 15 years with good care-- I only said this because I have one that is currently 14 years and 3 months old, but I think he is too rare of an example to include in the article, therefore I agree that most in captivity can expect 5 to 10 years. --75.175.55.204 (talk) 03:15, 13 June 2008 (UTC)

Zebra finches

How can you tell if they are male or female? Thanks xx —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.231.190.52 (talk) 19:06, 30 June 2008 (UTC)

Recent Article in Nature

Hello!

Please see this article in Nature: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature07994.html

It describes that the language of zebra finches is in part genetically encoded. Very interesting and important stuff.

Excellent blog post covering this research here: http://scienceblogs.com/neurophilosophy/2009/05/the_universal_grammar_of_birdsong_is_genetically_encoded.php

Thank you! Ya. Pekounov —Preceding unsigned comment added by 93.152.151.125 (talk) 07:47, 13 May 2009 (UTC)

MATING

Can a Zebra Finch mate with another type of Finch such as a Lady Gouldian? I had a pair and then the little girl finch died so I bought a Lady Gouldian. I am sure that the Zebra finch is a male and the new finch is a female. But I'm wondering if these breeds will mate? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.228.99.200 (talk) 04:16, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

For the person above... NO, the zebras will not breed with Gouldian Finches (please read up on both species)!!

In relation to the article on Breeding Zebra Finches, where it states that " Allowing the pair to start a new family while the first clutch is still in the cage will overly stress all the birds in the family."... and "It is advised that newly fledged birds be removed and placed into a separate enclosure to prevent aggressive actions of the adult male who will likely try to beat up younger birds which are seen as competition for the female's attention" Both these statements are incorrect! The parent birds will quite happily start another nest if one is required. Both parents feed the young quite happily even if the hen has started laying again... The cock bird will also happily feed it's young whether they are young cock birds or hens. This is how the next generation learn how to be parents... Do not remove young until they are properly weaned. Zebra finches tend to pair for life, so even the hen bird does not tolerate the advances of another cock bird... (like all species there will be rogues!) But in general these are happy family units, that work best, with little interference from the bird keeper. Once the young are weaned then ensure that there isn't over crowding or chances of inbreeding to take place once the young have reached maturity. Seek to obtain young stock from other breeders that are not related, if you wish to breed from your young. 77.86.3.137 (talk) 09:07, 17 November 2014 (UTC) F. Newton. 17/11/2014 77.86.3.137 (talk) 09:07, 17 November 2014 (UTC)

References

Need for water?

I read an article that these birds can produce metabolic water, so the part about water being important for their survival may need to be re-written. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.90.3.180 (talk) 17:57, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

Here's the article: http://www.efinch.com/species/zebra.htm —Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.90.3.180 (talk) 18:00, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

Gynandromorph pic?

Can someone get a free picture of the famous gynandromorphic zebra fitch with half-male, half-female body from Arnold, A. P. Sex chromosomes and brain gender. Nature Rev. Neurosci. 5, 701-708 (2004)? The original picture appeared in Agate, R. J. et al. [Neural not gonadal origin of brain sex differences in a gynandromorphic finch]. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 100, 4873–4878 (2003). I'm not sure if that makes it public domain or not. Thanks, Tijfo098 (talk) 21:25, 19 October 2010 (UTC)

Irrelevant Quote

I'm not sure if the quote in the subspecies section is completely relevant to the section it's in. Maybe it should be moved to another section or to Wikiquote? It's a nice quote, though! pluma (talk) 18:59, 14 August 2011 (UTC)

Citations

I think the citations for verification box in the breeding section may be ready to be removed. I almost removed it, but I think its removal should reflect consensus. pluma (talk) 19:05, 14 August 2011 (UTC)

aviculture

Nice to find this article so well advanced. I recently acquired an older text called Aviculture in Australia: Keeping and Breeding Aviary Birds (Shephard, 1989) for fifty cents, and there are some facts that might be included to help me get my moneys worth:

• aka: Chestnut-eared finch
• Breeding mutations is a recognised hobby
• There is a table of these mutations, their mode of inheritance, body colour, and historical notes to each.
• There is are standards on mutations issued by the Zebra Finch Society.
• There is a Zebra Finch Society [!]

I can add this to the article one day, please remind me if I don't, but if someone can access the 2012 work Grassfinches in Australia there will be reams of material on this and other subject matter. — cygnis insignis 03:52, 25 September 2018 (UTC)

Distribution in the UK

I see these, or a remarkably similar species in Derbyshire, England near-daily, yet nowhere in the article mentions a habitat in the UK. Can anyone elaborate on whether I am confusing this for another bird? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.0.228.110 (talk) 14:45, 5 October 2019 (UTC)

No description

There is no description heading on the page. Information like size and weight are missing.