Zebra Finch Taeniopygia guttata (prev. Poephila guttata)

The Zebra Finch male is like a clown in a jumble of stripes, spots and patterns and a zebra-striped tail. They are native to most of Australia and also East Timor and Indonesia.

The male has distinctive clown orange cheeks. He has thin barring/stripes on his throat, white-spotted chestnut flanks and a zebra-striped tail. He also usually has a redder beak.

The female is much plainer with the white facial mark bordered with black lines and orange legs. She usually has a less vivid red beak. (The females are said to be capable of parthenogenesis.)

The juvenile is like the female but has a black beak.

Leucistic Zebra finches are common, ranging from pale with shadow stripes to completely white (but with red beak and dark eyes, so not albino).

Most shown on this page are the "Australian" Zebra Finch, T. g. castanotis, which inhabits most of inland Australia. Those in the row immediately above are the nominal T. g. guttata or "Timor" Zebra Finch of Timor and coastal Australia. It is smaller, slimmer and with a higher-pitched, more complex song. The male has no fine black barring on the throat/chest above his breastband.

Zebra Finches are gregarious, flocking birds and are also popular aviary birds.