In contrast, a sick bird can present puffed feathers, a wet or crusted-over cloaca, a frequently drooped head or chronic lethargy. Birds that are being picked-on typically show feather loss in the head and neck. Fighting is rare, but can occur with overcrowding, stress and/or skewed sex ratios. Male rivalries are generally peaceful, but can include aggressive singing and occasionally “bill fencing”. In contrast with rodent husbandry practices, group housing is preferred over individual housing ( Bateson and Feenders 2010 Schmidt 2010). Zebra finches are noisy and might need to be housed apart from other species that are sensitive to noise. Proper documentation of the social environment is also important to ensure experimental consistency across laboratories ( Fee and Scharff 2010). It is important to recreate environmental conditions that best mimic those conditions found in the zebra finches’ natural habitat. Proper animal husbandry is an essential requirement for studying vocal learning in zebra finches as young chicks cannot be purchased commercially and therefore must be bred in the laboratory.
Thus, there is a need for investigators to adopt good practices, as outlined here, for the successful rearing and breeding of zebra finches. 2009 Fee and Scharff 2010), and husbandry practices are important for the normal development of this trait.
Learned song is culturally transmitted from adults to juveniles ( Feher et al. With appropriate care, they have an average lifespan of ~4 yr and can live up to 8 yr or even longer ( Austad 2011). They provide biparental care, with breeding possible at an age of 4 mo ( Austad 2011) and have a breeding frequency of three to four clutches per year. In the wild, zebra finches typically live in large colonial flocks, yet form longterm pair bonds ( Silcox and Evans 1982), with a moderate rate of generation of extrapaternity offspring ( Birkhead et al. It is commonly used in the laboratory, particularly for studies of vocal learning and the associated neural and genetic mechanisms of such learning. It is a small bird-wild adult females weighing on average 12.5 g, whereas males are lighter, averaging 12.2 g ( Zann 1996). The zebra finch Taeniopygia guttata castanotis is a songbird species native to mainland Australia. 2011), but cages that are long are preferred over those that are tall ( Bateson and Feenders 2010).
Zebra finch egg update#
Committee for the Update of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Minimum cage sizes have not been established for this species ( National Research Council. ( F) Three zebra finch hatchlings on hatch day one and a single unhatched egg. ( E) Clutch of six eggs in a nest composed of coconut fiber.
Zebra finch egg Patch#
Note the absence of the orange cheek patch typical of adult males. ( D) Juvenile zebra finch exhibiting chestnut markings on the flank (thick arrow) and black stripes on the throat (thin arrows) that are diagnostic of young males. ( B) Single housing unit from A showing a paper-lined floor, water bottles, food dispensers, cuttle bone and a nest box. ( A) A six-plex cage that is designed to house six pairs of breeding birds central cage dividers are removable to allow housing of five to six individuals.
Care and breeding of the zebra finch Taeniopygia guttata.
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