The zebra finches are two species of estrildid finch in the genus Taeniopygia found in Australia and Indonesia. They are seed-eaters that travel in large flocks.
The zebra finch was first captured in 1801 during Nicolas Baudin's expedition to Australia. The Indonesian species was described in 1817 by Louis Pierre Vieillot in his Nouveau Dictionnaire d'Histoire Naturelle, where he gave it the scientific name Fringilla guttata. The Australian species was then described in 1837 by John Gould as Amadina castanotis.[3] Its current genus, Taeniopygia, was described in 1862 by Ludwig Reichenbach.[4] It is placed in the tribe Poephilini,[5] along with the genus Poephila, which it was previously included in;[6] the split between Taeniopygia and Poephila is justified by a 1987 study using protein electrophoresis and chromosomal banding.[7]
The zebra finches likely evolved in Australia, with either northern or southeastern Australia postulated as two places where the genus arose. The present-day distribution of the species T. guttata is likely due to a Pleistocene glaciation event where the sea level dropped between about 100 and 150 metres (330 and 490ft), putting the coasts of Timor and Australia closer. This allowed T. castanotis swept out to sea by cyclones to see mountains near the west coast of Timor, which prompted them to make landfall on the island.[8]
The morphological differences between the species include differences in size. T. guttata is smaller than T. castanotis. In addition, the T. guttata males do not have the fine barring found on the throat and upper breast and have smaller breast bands.[9]
When it comes to the embryological development of the Zebra Finch, it takes about 14 days to incubate the egg. There are features that the growth of the embryo is different from that of a chicken, a precocial bird, because a Zebra Finch is an altricial bird that has different stages of growth and a shorter incubation time.[10]
Although the Sunda zebra finch was described first, the Australian zebra finch is the far more famous member of the genus, due to its status as a popular pet as well as a model organism for the wider study of birds.[11]
Zebra finches are more social than many migratory birds, generally traveling in small bands and sometimes gathering in larger groups.[12] They are one of the bird species that is able to learn new vocalizations and have become a dominant model species in the study of vocal learning.[13] There is evidence that some aspects of this are culturally transmitted and that the songs of geographically distant populations can change over time, resulting in new dialects. Research also shows that zebra finches hear and respond to variations in bird song that are not apparent to human listeners. Female zebra finches show a preference for mates with a dialect similar to the one of their adolescent peers.[14] Researchers are exploring analogies between human language and birdsong.[12][13]
Christidis, L. (1987b). "Phylogeny and Systematics of Estrildine Finches and Their Relationships to Other Seed-eating Passerines". Emu – Austral Ornithology. 87 (2): 119–123. doi:10.1071/MU9870119. ISSN0158-4197.
Estrildidae, or estrildid finches, is a family of small seed-eating passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They comprise species commonly known as munias, mannikins, firefinches, parrotfinches and waxbills. Despite the word "finch" being included in the common names of some species, they are not closely related to birds with this name in other families, such as the Fringillidae, Emberizidae or Passerellidae.
The Australian zebra finch is the most common estrildid finch of Central Australia. It ranges over most of the continent, avoiding only the cool humid south and some areas of the tropical far north. The bird has been introduced to Puerto Rico and Portugal. Due to the ease of keeping and breeding the zebra finch in captivity, it has become Australia's most widely studied bird; by 2010, it was the most studied captive model passerine species worldwide, by a considerable margin.
The African silverbill is a small passerine bird formerly considered conspecific with the Asian species Indian silverbill,. This estrildid finch is a common resident breeding bird in dry savanna habitat, south of the Sahara Desert. This species has also been introduced to other countries such as Portugal, Qatar and United States.
The Indian silverbill or white-throated munia is a small passerine bird found in the Indian Subcontinent and adjoining regions that was formerly considered to include the closely related African silverbill. This estrildid finch is a common resident breeding bird in the drier regions of the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent. It has also been introduced into many other parts of the world and has become established in some areas. They forage in small flocks in grassland and scrub habitats.
The double-barred finch is an estrildid finch found in dry savannah, tropical (lowland) dry grassland and shrubland habitats in northern and eastern Australia. It is sometimes referred to as Bicheno's finch or as the owl finch, the latter of which owing to the dark ring of feathers around the face. It is the only species placed in the genus Stizoptera .
The Gouldian finch, also known as the Gould's finch or the rainbow finch, is a colourful passerine bird that is native to Australia.
Richard Alexis Zann was an Australian ornithologist.
The brown twinspot is a common species of estrildid finch found in sub-Saharan Africa. It is the only member of the genus Clytospiza.
The black-faced waxbill is a common species of estrildid finch found in southern Africa. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The IUCN has classified the species as being of least concern.
The plum-headed finch also known as cherry finch is a common species of estrildid finch found in Australia. It is the only species placed in the genus Aidemosyne. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 100,000 – 1,000,000 km2.
The long-tailed finch is a common species of estrildid finch found in northern Australia, from the Kimberley region to the Gulf of Carpentaria. It is a predominantly fawn-coloured bird with a pale grey head and prominent black bib and eyes. It inhabits dry savannah habitats in Australia and adapts readily to aviculture.
The black-throated finch, or parson finch, is a species of estrildid finch found in grassy woodlands throughout north-east Australia from Cape York Peninsula to central Queensland. The southern black-throated finch is endangered, with a population in decline and its habitat is threatened by development, and has become extinct in New South Wales, while the northern black-throated finch is not listed as threatened at this point.
Nesocharis is a genus of small seed-eating birds in the family Estrildidae. They are found in Africa.
The firefinches form a genus, Lagonosticta, of small seed-eating African birds in the family Estrildidae.
Hypargos is a genus of small seed-eating birds in the family Estrildidae that are found in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Amandava is a genus of the estrildid finches. These birds are found in dense grass or scrub in Africa and South Asia. They are gregarious seed-eaters with short, red bills. In earlier literature, amadavat and amidavad have been used. The name amandava, along with amadavat and amidavad are all corruptions of Ahmedabad, a city in Gujarat, India from where the first few specimens of the red munia Amandava amandava were obtained.
Spermestes is a genus of small seed-eating birds in the family Estrildidae. They are distributed across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Brunhilda is a genus of small seed-eating birds in the waxbill family Estrildidae. The species are found in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Mayrimunia is a genus of small seed-eating birds in the family Estrildidae that are endemic to New Guinea.
The Sunda zebra finch is a species of bird in the family Estrildidae. It is found in the Lesser Sundas.
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