parrots world

Zebra Finch Terms Fledge A chick first leaving the nest.  A fledgeling is a chick newly out of the nest. Flight A very large cage where the birds can fly freely.  Usually many feet long and high. Split Having the genes of more than one color mutation Mutation A trait that is not on the normal wild bird. This is a random occurring event.  In captive breeding we can continue this rare event with selective breeding. The different colors on Zebra finches are mutations. Selective Breeding Manually picking the specific birds to pair up for mating.  Usually done to continue a color mutation or to combine two color mutations. Inbreeding Mating family members.  Mating brother and sister is generally not a good thing.  Weak and/or deformed young may be produced.  Prolonged inbreeding will eventually return very poor results in the offspring.  Examples: Father x Daughter, Son x Mother, Brother x Sister.  From Webster's Dictiona...

Zebra finches Basic Care Zebra finches are fun and easy to have in your home.  They are a pleasure to view and their soft chirping is soothing.  Whether you want only one pair to keep you company or you want to be a breeder with many birds, Zebras are a joy. Zebra Finches originate from Australia. Zebras live in open grasslands with some bushes and trees.  They live in dry areas over most of Australia.  They live in groups and eat mostly grass seeds.  They build their nests in bushes out of grass, straw, feathers and anything else they can find.  They lay 3-6 eggs and both parents participate in raising the young.  The currently accepted taxonomic nomenclature for the Zebra is "Taeniopygia guttata castanotis". Zebra finches live to be 4-8 years of age.  I have heard of birds living to 10 and 12 years old, but I think this is rare. Males: The normal male bird has a gray upper body and wings.  The belly is white. ...